


The Ocean Is Not My Home

by kuonji



Series: The Ocean Is Not My Home [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: Backstory, Coming Out, Episode Related, Friendship, M/M, Misunderstandings, Nanase Haruka & Tachibana Makoto & Tokyo, Post-Series, Pre-Series, Secrets, Slow Build, Supernatural Elements, always in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-02-27 18:09:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13253784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuonji/pseuds/kuonji
Summary: All Haru wants is to swim with Makoto."Why did you do that? Haru! Answer me!" Makoto wiped his eyes furiously and waited. He loved Haru. Haru was his best friend in the world. He would explain.





	1. Chapter 1

The earliest clear memory Makoto has is of Haru wailing and sobbing loudly, near incoherent with childish rage. Makoto doesn't remember what the scene had looked like. What he remembers is the sounds and the overwhelming sense of terror he'd felt as he, too, began to cry. Someone, probably his Mom, had picked him up, presumably to soothe him, while Haru continued _screaming_ , "I want to take a bath with Mako-chan! Why can't I take a bath with Mako-chan! _Why?!_ "

When he was older, he asked Auntie Nanase about it. She put a light hand on Haru's hair. "Poor Haru-chan. He had such bad rashes when he was a baby. We didn't want you to catch it, but we couldn't make him understand." Haru pouted and kept his head down as he ate his cracker.

"I don't have rashes anymore," he said, sullenly.

"No, you don't," Auntie Nanase agreed, attending to the laundry she was folding.

By then, in any case, Haru was jealous of his time in the tub and didn't like to share.

***

Makoto doesn't remember the first time he touched the ocean. Like most Iwatobi families, his parents had taken him to the beach when he was just a baby. There's a picture of him, sitting in a floatation tube and crying his eyes out. His Mom says that he got better later and quite enjoyed himself, but the picture amuses everyone, so that's the one that's framed and hanging on the wall. It's embarrassing, but now after Makoto has won medals and trophies on the swim team and everything, he has to agree that it's kind of funny.

The first time he played in the ocean with Haru, though, that he remembers. While he had sat in his float in the water with his parents, Haru's parents had kept his friend on shore, kneeling to look him straight in the eye and talking quietly but sternly to him. Makoto called out to him to hurry up, but his Mom hushed him. He watched as Haru nodded seriously several times. Finally, his father put floats on his arms and allowed him into the water.

Makoto, wanting to copy his friend, clamored to get out of his floatation tube until his Dad acceded, sitting him on a kickboard instead and holding it for him while he kicked his legs in the water. Haru splashed around in water up to his waist. Even back then, he didn't smile, but when Makoto asked him, "Is that fun, Haru-chan?" the other boy looked at him with shining blue eyes and said, "Yes."

***

One summer, Makoto's Mom took him to his first swimming lesson. It was a disaster.

Makoto didn't like not being able to breathe. He didn't like not having someone to hold on to. He didn't like everyone staring at him while he took his turn. He didn't want to go back, but his Mom was insistent. Now, he can see the sense in her argument. Raising a child who couldn't swim in a seaside town was a dangerous accident waiting to happen. Back then, though, all he could say was, "No no no no no!!"

When he told Haru about it later, Haru said, "You don't have to be scared. I could swim with you." Makoto was so excited that he ran to his Mom to tell her.

"Oh, Mako-chan, I don't think we should ask Haru-chan to do that," was her dubious response. He was so distraught, however, that she finally said, "I'll ask Auntie Nanase, okay?"

"Okay," he said, and accepted her hug.

When they got to the Iwatobi Swim Club for their first lesson together, Haru's hair was already damp.

"Mama and Papa made me practice," he explained when he saw Makoto's curious look.

"Practice what?"

Haru just shrugged.

The next time he tentatively followed Hayaka-sensei's instructions to put their faces in the water, Makoto noticed that Haru could already hold his breath and float with ease. "Haru-chan, you're amazing!" he exclaimed. Haru stared at him for a moment before looking away.

***

Haru's parents gradually became less protective of their son until they would allow him and Makoto to go to the pool and occasionally the beach together. Learning the backstroke had opened Makoto's world, and he started to understand a little bit of why Haru always looked so comfortable in the water.

When Makoto watched Haru swim, he was filled with happiness and affection. With his water-loving best friend by his side, Makoto found that he could enjoy diving under the bright waves and even the splashing of water on his face. He began to appreciate the unique feeling of slicing through the water on his own power, the pride of reaching the other side of the pool and later of improving his time in doing so. He began to love the feeling of currents on his skin and the scent of chlorine and wet nylon and the sounds of seagulls or the echoes off of the natatorium walls. Later, Makoto even convinced Haru to join the Swim Club team together.

"He's like a dolphin!" little Nagisa liked to say about Haru, and the description was so apt that it stuck.

***

Then the kind fisherman died.

Haru held Makoto's hand so tight, so tight. But it wasn't enough. Makoto had nightmares for weeks and he never wanted to enter the ocean again.

***

When they were thirteen, Haru came to Makoto's house one night well after dinner time.

"Makoto. I want to try something with you." Like always, his expression didn't show much. Like always, Makoto could tell what he was feeling anyway. Haru was nervous. Very nervous.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, worried.

Haru shook his head.

"Okay. What was it you wanted to try?" The next moment, he cried out, "Haru?" when the other boy grabbed his wrist and began pulling him down the stairs. "Wait, where are we going?"

In retrospect, because it was Haru, their destination should have been obvious.

They snuck into the ITSC through the side window like they had done a few times before. Haru refused all entreaties to explain what they were doing there. He left his clothes in a heap as usual, after stripping down to the swimsuit he'd started wearing underneath, and he jumped in the pool, but feet first instead of his usual dive. Rather than taking off swimming, he waited for Makoto to join him.

"What's going on?" Makoto asked. He was exasperated by Haru's stubborn silence, a little uncomfortable in his wet underwear, and a lot nervous from being here illicitly. The last time they had done this had been his fault, and his parents had explained carefully and at length why trespassing and using other people's facilities without permission was wrong and then taken away his game system for a month.

Haru looked down at his own hand as he waved it under the water, and then he struck out for the middle of the pool, ducking under the lane lines. Sighing, Makoto followed him. Even amid his nervousness, however, he had to admire Haru's form. Under Nao-senpai's coaching this year, Haru's swimming had become even more beautiful than before. Makoto was proud of his friend.

When they came to a stop, the water up to their chests, Haru turned to look at Makoto intently. Then he put his hands on either side of Makoto's head. "Don't be scared, Makoto," he said.

Their position felt intimate and strange. Makoto took a step back, but the water made his footing uncertain, and Haru held on.

"It's okay. Don't be scared," he said again -- and he sealed his lips to Makoto's.

Makoto gasped, but Haru's mouth swallowed up the sound. He tried again to pull away, but again Haru held on.

After the first shocking second, Makoto became aware of a ringing in his head. His lips tingled, and the tingling sensation strengthened and spread out through his cheeks and up his nose and down his throat into his lungs and his heart. He whimpered, frightened. He remembered that he had hands and tried to push Haru away, but Haru was stronger than he'd thought and wouldn't budge.

Finally, Makoto felt the fingers loosen from his hair, and he broke away. He found to his embarrassment that he was crying. "Haru!" he admonished, disbelief and confusion making his voice waver.

Haru was gasping for breath. His blue eyes were wide. In the dim pool lights, they seemed to glow.

"Why did you do that? Haru! Answer me!" Makoto wiped his eyes furiously and waited. He loved Haru. Haru was his best friend in the world. He would explain.

But Haru didn't say anything. He just stared back at Makoto. He was still breathing heavily.

"H-Haru?"

"Mako... to..."

Makoto watched in astonished horror as Haru's eyes drifted closed and he slumped in the water. "Haru!" He grabbed his friend and hauled him up, keeping his face from going under. He leaned Haru against his own shoulder and patted his face, shouting his name. Haru remained silent, dead weight in his arms.

Trying to remember what the Swim Club had taught them all about water safety, Makoto dragged them both toward the edge of the pool. After keeping the victim above water and making sure he was breathing, the next step had always been to get help, but there was no one else here. He was crying again, and he couldn't stop. He remembered that long line of silent mourners. "Don't leave me, Haru," he gasped out in between sobs. "I'm sorry. Please."

Before he reached the edge, Haru stirred and tried to stand. Relieved, Makoto let him, and Haru, looking groggy but none the worse for wear, blinked awake. Makoto grabbed his friend and sobbed as he berated him.

"Don't do that to me! What happened? What are we doing here, Haru? Haru, I don't _understand_."

Haru shook his head slowly and looked around the room, as if remembering where they were. "It would have been easier in the ocean, but I knew you wouldn't want that."

" _What_ would be easier? Haru!"

Haru took his hands and tugged him down. "Watch," he said, as he ducked underwater. Still upset but keenly aware that his friend -- who had just fainted -- shouldn't be left underwater alone, he followed.

Without his goggles, it was harder to see, but they were now closer to the lights along the side of the pool, so he could make out Haru's face. He looked slightly unreal in the greenish white light, his dark hair waving atop his head.

Haru exhaled, bubbles rising and briefly obscuring bits of the top half of his face. Then he took in a deep breath. And exhaled again. This time, there were no bubbles. As Makoto stared, he did it a second time.

Makoto burst out of the water. "Haru?" he said, shakily.

Haru stood more slowly. He shook his wet bangs out of his eyes. "You can do that, too, now," he said. His voice was pressed tightly into a near monotone -- but Makoto could tell what his friend was feeling anyway. Haru was ecstatic. "It'll last for two... maybe three hours?"

"Is that what the... the kiss was?" Makoto felt himself flush.

Haru looked down and away. "It wasn't a kiss," he mumbled. Without meeting his eyes, he tugged Makoto's hand again. "Try it."

They ducked down together this time. Makoto could hear his heart beating against the water around him. He wondered if Haru could hear it as well. In wonder, he watched as Haru breathed out and then _in_ , just as if they were out in dry air. He felt Haru squeeze his hand. He shook his head, frightened. Disappointment crushed Haru's face. Someone else may not have been able to see it, but Makoto knew.

Screwing up his courage, Makoto exhaled in a rush. Before he could think, he took a single gasping breath.

His nose didn't burn with water. He didn't choke. Breathing felt... thinner somehow. But he was doing it. His nose tingled on the inside in a faint echo of how it had felt when Haru-- when he hadn't kissed Makoto. Makoto tried to laugh, but all he got was a mouthful of water. Reflexively, he swallowed, then made a face at the taste of chlorine. Haru gave him a slightly quirked smile, his version of a giggle. Makoto pulled Haru in and hugged him, partly as punishment and partly in sheer delight.

They played in the pool, at first just swimming round and round and chasing each other, enjoying the novelty of not having to come up for air. Then they invented games and acrobatics, counting somersaults and doing cartoon karate moves. They swung each other around to make each other fly in the buoyant gravity. They had competitions, walking across the pool on their hands and doing laps around the pool's perimeter, or taking turns trying to stay still on the bottom the longest while the other person buffeted him with waves. They tried to talk to each other, making up simple sign language. Haru smiled more that night than Makoto thought he'd ever seen him do in a year.

Eventually, the air grew thinner and thinner until Makoto snorted a mouthful of water and surfaced, choking and briefly panicked at the now-strange sensation of gasping for air. Mournfully, they got dressed and headed home.

Their parents were waiting at Makoto's house.

When Makoto reluctantly divulged where the two of them had been, the normally reserved Auntie and Uncle Nanase broke into a dizzying flurry of reprimands.

"You know better than to go in the water at this time of night."

"You're much too old to be doing crazy nonsense like this."

"Look, now you've gotten Mako-chan in trouble, too, and caused all this trouble for his parents. That was extremely irresponsible of you."

"What on Earth were you thinking, Haruka?"

Haru hunched over. "I wanted to swim with Makoto."

"You could have gone after school, or on the weekend. We just renewed your pass last week."

"I wanted to _swim_ with _Makoto_ ," Haru repeated stubbornly. His parents exchanged frowns.

Makoto felt helpless, silenced by his own parents' reproachful glares. He couldn't even defend Haru properly, since, as everyone assumed, it had indeed been Haru who had instigated the adventure. Guiltily, all he could do was to stand beside his friend, hanging his head. He was very aware of the still damp underwear he twisted in his hands behind his back.

Finally, Makoto's Mom stepped in. "Maybe you should take him home. It's late."

"Yes. We'll talk at home," Uncle Nanase said, icily. He put on an apologetic smile for Makoto's parents, and, after a mutual spate of apologies and reassurances, he and Auntie Nanase herded Haru out the door.

Once his Mom and Dad finished sending them off, they came back and looked at him with matching folded arms and disappointed faces.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled. His parents, in an echo of Haru's, exchanged a look.

"You were really just swimming?" his Dad asked.

Makoto nodded. That was technically true.

"Are you sure?" his Dad persisted, probably seeing his uncertain wince.

"Yes," he answered out loud this time.

"Just the two of you?"

"Yes."

"Mako-chan," his Mom said a little more gently, "if you were doing something else... or if you need help with something, you can tell us. We love you, and Haru-chan, too."

All the possible shameful, violent, disgusting things that teenagers might be doing in secret whirled through Makoto's head in a mortifying collage. He hoped his parents didn't really think he and Haru were like that. "We weren't doing anything wrong." Well, aside from the obvious. Plus, Makoto had 'borrowed' the keys from the front desk to 'check out' a towel from the back counter, but he hoped that didn't count. "We... We were just having fun. I forgot the time."

There was a long pause before his Mom sighed. "All right. Go to bed." She hugged him. "I'm glad you're safe. Back to bed, you two," he heard her say in a sharper tone, and he abashedly realized that his little siblings had seen the whole thing through the cracked open door from the end of the hallway. They yelped and scampered away. As he trudged upstairs, Makoto could hear his parents still talking in hushed tones, probably deciding a suitable punishment for him. He groaned quietly.

Afterwards, exhausted, Makoto lay in bed wondering if he had been in some hallucination. Back in his normal house, fresh from being scolded by his worried parents, what had happened in the pool all seemed fantastical and impossible.

He rubbed his hand over his chest, then his lips.

No. It had happened. He was sure of it.

Makoto fell asleep and dreamed about singing dolphins who nuzzled him with affection and carried him away to the sun.

  
END Chapter 1.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Haru was right. Makoto couldn't save anyone if he couldn't save himself._

Haru never cried. Makoto was so used to it that the first time someone pointed it out to him (with a certain amount of censure), Makoto was surprised to realize it was true. Sometimes Haru teared up, but that wasn't the same thing. Smoke from a barbeque grill might irritate him, and Haru's eyes sometimes leaked a little after swimming in the ocean. Makoto used to tease him that it was because he missed being in the water so much.

Haru never laughed, either. Sometimes he smiled in that way that _was_ laughing for him, but more often, Makoto could tell he was laughing from the shape and movement of his eyes. He had the most expressive eyes that Makoto knew.

Some people said mean things about Haru. They thought that just because Haru didn't show his emotions like other people did, that he was weird or broken. To Makoto, though, Haru was an open book. Haru loved the water with a deep passion. He was protective of the people he loved. He was quietly observant. He was honest. He was focused.

When Makoto was four years old, his Mom asked him why he liked his friend. After much agonizing thought, he had reportedly replied, "Because Haru is Haru."

Makoto would find it difficult to come up with a different answer now.

***

During the winter of their second year of middle school, Haru's grandmother passed away.

Makoto's Dad held his hand as they walked up the steps to the night ceremony, despite him being in his teens now and almost as tall as his Dad was. Ran and Ren clung to their Mom behind them, and other groups of people shuffled around them, either returning from or going to the same destination. The Nanases' house was disturbingly transformed, ablaze with light in the evening, heavy with the smell of incense, and loud with the susurrations of darkly clad people and a recording of prayers playing in the background.

Haru knelt with his parents beside the shrine, all three sitting stiff and tall. His parents received condolences and exchanged brief words with their guests, their faces pale and blank of emotion, while Haru sat like a statue. Filling the room were his classmates' parents and his parent's friends and various other adults and some kids, but there didn't seem to be any other members of Haru's family. Makoto tried to catch Haru's eye when it was his turn to drop his pinch of incense into the burner, but his friend stared resolutely at the ground in front of him.

As Makoto's family was about to leave, he saw Haru's father whisper something in Haru's ear. Haru nodded and got up. He took the glass of water from the shrine and went to the kitchen. Makoto made the decision to follow him. "Haru." With no sign of surprise or recognition, Haru emptied the glass carefully into the sink, then moved to fill it again from a clear pitcher that they normally served barley tea in. It had a beautiful teal and gold braid wrapped all around it from top to bottom that Makoto had never seen before. "Haru?"

A shadow fell over them. "Makoto-kun." Makoto jumped and spun around. Haru's father blocked the light from the living room. Haru turned to regard them both but said nothing.

"I-- I'm sorry for your loss," Makoto stammered, bowing deeply in between them.

Uncle Nanase's eyes relaxed in a smile. "Thank you, Makoto-kun. Your family's looking for you. It's time to go."

***

For two weeks afterwards, he visited Haru every day. He brought over his favorite games, and they watched TV and played cards. Often, when Makoto arrived, Haru was in the bath in his swimsuit. Seeing his friend sitting there listlessly in the water always made Makoto's heart hurt. He would sit beside him on a stool and chatter about school or whatever came to mind, trying to cheer him up, but Haru rarely responded with more than silent glances.

One day, Makoto excitedly brought a flyer with him and told Haru, "Look! A new gym opened with a pool. It's half price during the trial period. Do you want to go?"

Haru looked up at Makoto's invitation. He stared at the flyer for a long time, studying the glossy picture of the new, modern pool. Makoto realized with some alarm that he didn't know what Haru was thinking. Finally, Haru shook his head.

"Are you sure?"

"I can't," was his enigmatic answer. He stood up abruptly, splashing Makoto, and grabbed a towel.

"Haru?" Makoto followed him out, crumpling the forgotten flyer in one hand.

Haru led them to the living room, where Auntie Nanase knelt at the table, staring at a notepad with a pen held loosely in hand. She took one look at them and opened her arms. Somehow, Makoto found himself wrapped up in a hug alongside Haru. Haru leaned his forehead into his mother's chest and took deep breaths. He asked her, softly, "Can we go to the beach later?"

It was much too cold for the beach. And besides... Makoto felt a prick of hurt, that Haru had refused him, only to ask to go to the one place where Makoto couldn't follow. Immediately, though, he felt shame for his hurt. It was only natural that Haru would rather spend time with his family.

Auntie Nanase touched her lips to Haru's hair. She closed her eyes. "Of course, Haru-chan."

***

At the end of their final year of middle school, Haru's father was transferred to Tokyo. To Makoto's surprise (but also to his pleasure) Haru stayed behind. The Nanase house at the top of the stairs became home to Haru by himself.

Haru ate dinner at their house once a week, and Makoto's Mom took him shopping for the first six months to make sure he was buying groceries and not just canned mackerel. Thankfully, since junior high, Haru had learned to cook, though it took some occasional prodding to make sure he did so.

Makoto and Haru were assigned to the same class for their first year of high school. They continued to walk to and from school together, and they shared lunch breaks and did homework and played games and went out with friends together, but he could never get over the feeling that Haru was slipping away from him somehow.

The Iwatobi Swim Club had closed down years ago.

Haru never rejoined the school swim team after he quit, and then their high school didn't have one.

In summer, Haru visited the ocean, but for all that he told himself he was being silly, Makoto was still wary of going.

It was with an aching sense of loneliness that Makoto realized he hadn't swum with Haru for over two years.

***

Rei was straight ahead, a pale face bobbing above the water line. Makoto stroked toward him.

"Ma--" Rei went under before he could finish the call. He came right back up, but Makoto was seeing the other boy now through a speckled haze. Memories swarmed up, freezing his mind, weighing down his limbs...

Everything went black.

The next thing he knew, Makoto was staring at a blurry oval of a face with dark hair, just a few centimeters from his own.

"Rei?" he tried to say, but he tasted salt water instead. Disoriented, he coughed out water, or, he thought he did. His lungs spasmed, and he thought he felt the water come up in his mouth, but he couldn't seem to spit it out. Everything was so confusing. He tried and failed to speak again. He couldn't see. The air felt too thin. He started to panic.

A strong grip towed him upward and he broke the surface. Thunder cracked overhead and the storm roared around them. Surging waves and ricocheting raindrops sprayed water in Makoto's face. He held up a hand, trying to shield his eyes, even as he treaded water with difficulty in the swells.

"--to shore," he heard faintly and focused on the worried face in front of him. It was Haru, and he was shouting but his voice was faint over the storm.

"Rei!" Makoto remembered. He craned his neck around, finally catching sight of two heads, one golden and one dark. "Nagisa?" he guessed incredulously. What was he doing out here?

"We have to swim for shore!" Haru shouted in his ear. He pulled Makoto downward. "It's safer underwater."

"No! Haru, look!" A lightning flash showed that Nagisa had Rei in a rescue hold, and Rei was clearly conscious and trying to help -- but even in that moment of blinding light the shoreline was a distant smudge. They might not make it.

Haru compressed his lips. Then he met Makoto's eyes. He leaned forward to put his mouth close to Makoto's ear. "You still remember?" he asked.

Makoto nodded.

With obvious hesitation, Haru let go of him. "Show me," he said harshly.

There wasn't time, but Haru was right. Makoto couldn't save anyone if he couldn't save himself. Shutting his eyes tight for courage, he ducked under the waves and took a deep breath. His nose tingled. Breathable air rushed into his lungs. When he dared to open his eyes, Haru was in front of him in the murky, frothy darkness. The other boy nodded.

They surfaced just long enough to choose targets, Nagisa for Haru, the taller Rei for Makoto. Then they dove under the careering waves and swam for their friends.

In the confusion, they wound up on the opposite island. Perhaps that turned out for the best, however, since the four of them managed to turn a frightful experience into a bonding one.

There was only one moment of awkwardness.

"It's lucky for us you recovered so quickly, Makoto-senpai!" Rei said soon after they reached dry land.

"Oh. Well. Haru got to me fast."

"Haru-chan is such an amazing swimmer!" Nagisa agreed immediately, and, somehow, they escaped further questions on that score.

It wasn't until the evening of the following day that Makoto found some time alone with Haru during a snack run to the villa's minimart together.

"Haru," he started. "I'm sorry about last night. I honestly thought I would be okay, and then Rei needed help, and I..."

He trailed off, understanding how weak his argument was.

Haru gave him what most people would have thought was a dispassionate look. "It wasn't your fault."

"You could have gotten hurt really badly!" Makoto glanced around to make sure no one was listening to them. "Did you faint again? You could have drifted away or hit your head or something."

Haru looked down at his feet as they walked. "I'm stronger in the ocean," he finally said. "I was fine."

It had been more than three years since that night at the pool. Haru had never made any mention of it, and Makoto had honestly started to believe that he had imagined the whole thing. "Have you tried it in the ocean before?" he asked cautiously.

Haru shook his head. "I have to do it with-- with another person. I've never wanted to try it with anyone but you."

It was like his entire heart had turned into warm melted chocolate. "Oh." Makoto rubbed his face, hoping he wasn't blushing too badly.

Haru looked away. "I wasn't supposed to do that again, anyway. It was only because... You almost died, Makoto."

"I'm sorry." He took a few steps forward before he realized Haru had stopped in place. "Haru?"

His friend had his fists clenched and his eyes were saying _fear_ \-- _anger_ \-- _frustration_. "Don't be _sorry_ ," he spat. "Just don't do anything _stupid_ again."

He almost said "I'm sorry" again but stopped himself. "Okay, Haru."

The heat left Haru as quick as it had come. Head down, he walked past Makoto, seemingly intent on making it to the minimart doors just up ahead.

"Haru. I'm so glad I could swim with you again. I meant what I said to everyone last night: I wanted to swim with my friends. Nagisa and Rei, they've become important to me, too. But when I agreed to start the Swim Club, I was only thinking of you. None of this would be worth it to me if you hadn't joined, so... thank you."

His friend paused.

"And thank you for sharing whatever that is with me, even though you think you shouldn't have. You can be yourself around me. I hope you know that. I'd like that, Haru."

Haru didn't respond except with a tiny shrug which could have just been a shiver from their damp skin in the inland breeze.

***

"I want to try something with you."

Makoto felt a jolt of excitement. Once again, Haru was at his door with a nervous expression and those same words. "All right." 

This time, there was no being dragged to the SC followed by breaking and entering. Haru simply handed Makoto a small, bumpy object, about a centimeter square, which turned out to be two colors of coral twisted together, polished smooth. Makoto turned it around in his fingers. "What is it?"

"Hold it in your fist."

"Okay."

Haru stared at him intently until Makoto started to feel flustered. "Haru?" Haru frowned. Then he opened Makoto's palm and held his hand, with the coral piece pressed between them.

_How about now?_

Makoto dropped the ornament. It clattered to the floor of the entryway.

Just at that moment, Makoto's Mom peeked in from the living room. "Oh, welcome, Haru-chan! Makoto, ask him in."

"Y-Yes, Mom."

When he turned back around, Haru was holding the piece again and staring at it in deep concentration.

"Is it broken?" he asked anxiously.

Blinking, Haru looked up and said, with authority, "It won't break." He held it out. "Try it again."

Tentatively, Makoto took it back. Haru placed his hand over Makoto's.

_You can hear this?_

"Yes," Makoto whispered. He looked over his shoulder. He could hear the TV on.

 _It worked._ Haru's 'voice' rang with triumph, much more passionate than his usual speaking voice. It seemed to echo, booming with exultation. It was both disconcerting and exhilarating, like some stranger had stolen his friend's voice and then used it to pipe words directly into Makoto's head. _Try thinking something at me._

"Um. What should I say?"

 _Anything._ Makoto resisted rolling his eyes when Haru's 'voice' sounded irritated.

"Okay, wait." He looked around the entryway for ideas, eventually settling on the goldfish Haru had given him before the Regionals. _Sabaha, Katsuona, Maguroma, and Ajirei are glad to see you_ , he tried to think back.

Haru frowned in concentration for several seconds before slumping slightly. His next thoughts were colored in disappointment. _It doesn't work the other way. I thought it probably wouldn't, but..._

"It doesn't matter. Haru, this is amazing!" Aware he'd raised his voice, he glanced behind him once more before turning back to ask softly, "Do you always sound like this in your own head?"

Haru tilted his head. His next thought echoed with confusion and some defensiveness. _What do you mean?_

Makoto covered his mouth to smother a laugh. It was just so weird to hear that much variance in intonation coming from his stoic friend.

Now Haru looked slightly annoyed. _Is it different from how I normally talk?_

"Hmmm. Maybe not," Makoto conceded, not wanting to embarrass Haru. It wasn't really a lie. Normally, he could tell Haru was feeling these things even though they didn't come through in his voice and expression enough for most people to discern. That made this connection much like their usual interactions. "Will you get in trouble? You said you weren't supposed to do this anymore."

Haru's lips curved the slightest bit in his usual subtle smile. His thoughts, meanwhile, were vibrant with sly satisfaction. _Nobody has to know._

  
END Chapter 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus points to anyone who figures out the origins of the goldfish names. :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"I want to try something with you."_

Their first fight was the worst thing Makoto had ever experienced.

Deciding to go to Tokyo had been a gut-wrenching decision. Leaving his family and everything he ever knew scared him in a way that no ghost story or haunted house ever could. In his deepest fears, Makoto worried that he was making the wrong choice.

He had to try, though. He had to think of the future. With two siblings coming up behind him, he didn't have the luxury of time to experiment or wander. He'd found something that he wanted, something that could be his dream, and he was going to go for it, no matter how difficult it may turn out to be. He needed to do this.

Even if he stayed still, nothing else would. Rin was surely going to college on a sports scholarship, and then on to a career in competitive swimming. Rei had probably been planning for university since grade school. If Gou and Nagisa weren't thinking about their post-high school lives yet, they soon would be.

The one uncertainty was, he didn't know if Haru could find his own path. Makoto could see so clearly -- as painful as it was to him -- that Haru belonged in Rin's world. The two of them shared a fire and a love for swimming that could take Haru to places of freedom and wonder and success that he was refusing to consider. Treading water as he was only caused Haru pain, and it would be even worse once everyone else left him behind. Makoto hoped that Rin could talk to Haru, convince him somehow to take that step, but he knew how stubborn Haru could be, and they were running out of time.

It broke his heart into pieces, but he couldn't wait for Haru. He couldn't base his entire future on one boy -- no matter how indescribably special that boy was. They _weren't_ boys anymore, was the point. They had to make the choices that men made. Makoto had done his best to make his. For Haru's own sake, he had to make one himself, too.

"Haru, I'll come back." He tried desperately to assuage the fury and the foreign terror in his best friend's eyes.

Haru grabbed his wrist, digging the protruding points of the coral ornament painfully into Makoto's skin. _Don't assume I'll still be here when you do._

Makoto watched helplessly as his best friend stormed off.

***

Unlike the rest of their families, Haru's parents didn't stay for dinner after the relay at Nationals. They sat with Makoto's parents during the race and stayed after to chat a bit, but when Makoto greeted them, it seemed to him that they were chillier than usual.

It could just be his imagination. Haru's parents weren't the most demonstrative people, after all, and Makoto had barely even seen them anymore after they moved to Tokyo.

Before leaving, they took Haru aside and seemed to give him a lengthy lecture. Finally, his mother touched his cheek and his father his shoulder, and then they left their son behind once again.

"Are you all right, Haru?" Makoto asked his friend after they left.

At Haru's questioning look, Makoto gestured the way his departing parents had gone. Haru looked mildly surprised. "I'm glad they came. They weren't sure they could make it." Apparently dismissing the matter, Haru directed his attention up at the stands, where a row of relatively well-dressed men and women with clipboards and cameras were conferring solemnly.

"Sixth place at Nationals is a good score," Makoto assured him, even though he knew next to nothing about how the scouts actually judged these things. "They'll have been watching you for yourself, anyway, and you were fantastic."

Haru considered him with an unusually fond expression. "You're good at giving encouragement, Makoto. Your students will be lucky."

"Thank you, Haru." Feeling something more was needed, he added, "I feel lucky, too." Haru looked away from him then, but Makoto could tell he was pleased.

***

It was raining the day Haru told him about being accepted to a university in Tokyo. It was the beginning of winter and the rain was freezing, but Haru closed his umbrella and stood in the downpour with a look of contentment.

"It's only four stops away from yours," he said to the sky.

Makoto was filled with a jumble of emotions -- relief, joy, pride, love, excitement -- all of them choking him up inside. "I'm so glad." He held his umbrella over Haru, causing his friend to pout. "You'll ruin your clothes and catch a cold."

"Just a little longer."

Sighing, Makoto moved aside. After a few seconds, he closed up his own umbrella and, copying Haru, tilted his head back to catch the rain on his face. As suspected, it was freezing and horrible. It was also exhilarating. Free.

"Makoto!"

Makoto laughed, pleased that for once, he had managed to shock his friend.

***

The first week after classes started, Haru came to his door. "Will you go swimming with me?"

As a member of the swim team, Haru had received a key card to his university's natatorium. He could bring in guests after hours, within reason. Makoto wasn't certain that the middle of the night on a Tuesday was exactly "within reason", but at least they weren't technically breaking any rules this time.

The natatorium was empty, the water still. Only the pool lights were on, with some moonlight coming in from the high windows, increasing the sense of déjà vu Makoto was feeling. At least this time he had his suit and goggles.

They did a few laps first. It had been a couple of months since Makoto had been in the water, and after two years of swimming nearly daily, he had missed it. The comfortable familiarity of it was soothing. It was a beautiful pool, too, smooth and clean, the bottom sloping down to two meters at the first lane and the lane lines deep shiny black in the lights. Makoto felt immensely happy that Haru could swim in a pool like this every day.

Eventually, Haru gestured to the middle of the pool. They stopped there, face to face.

Haru looked nervous. Almost more nervous than the first time. It had been five years since that night at the old ITSC. Makoto hadn't been conscious at Sukishima, and Haru probably hadn't had time to think it through before acting. This was the first time either of them had quite known what was happening. Makoto felt as nervous as Haru looked -- but mixed with that was eager anticipation. He'd never told Haru, but he'd wished countless times to have that magical few hours with his friend again.

He nodded.

Breathing steadily but deeply, Haru watched him for a second longer. Then he came forward, fluid in the water, and took Makoto's head in his hands. Now that Makoto was paying attention, he could feel the tingling start along his scalp, whispering back and forth in a cross-hatch between Haru's fingers. A low ringing started in his head. "Oh." Haru's eyes widened in a question. "It just feels funny. It's okay." Looking slightly reassured, Haru drew closer.

Their lips met, and Makoto gasped.

He couldn't be sure, but the tingling seemed stronger than before, snapping like an electric shock up and down his throat and filling his chest and head. He made a distressed sound, and he felt Haru's fingers loosen, but he quickly clapped his own hands over them, keeping them where they were.

 _Just a few more seconds. It's almost done_ , he heard. Surrounded by water, Haru only had to touch his skin to speak to him. He still wasn't able to respond in kind, but he squeezed Haru's wrists to show he understood.

When Haru released him, they were underwater, having sunk during the process. Staring at each other, they each took an experimental breath -- and both broke out in grins.

Haru touched his wrist, just above the braided cord that held the coral ornament. _It's a bigger pool. I didn't know how much of a difference that would make. Are you okay?_

Makoto nodded. He pointed at Haru and tilted his head.

_Just a little woozy. Nothing like before._

Maybe the bigger pool had helped with that, too.

Makoto turned on his back and exhaled, letting himself slowly sink down. The faraway ceiling and the dim windows stretched out above through the water. It was like looking through a wavy and gradually thickening glass. Delight and disbelief bubbled up in him. If he could have, he would have laughed.

His view was eclipsed by a dark shape. Haru held out his hands, and Makoto took them.

Together, they made laps around the pool bottom. It was like being children again, marveling at every little thing, slight irregularities in the tiles, the pattern of dust motes in the pool lights, a dead spider that made Makoto flail backwards in fright before he realized what it was. Haru didn't speak to him underwater again, instead exchanging gestures with him. They tried to lip read each other's exaggerated mouthings, and occasionally surfaced to compare notes and share their amusement when they'd gotten something completely wrong. Eventually, Makoto looked down and mimed walking on his hands, then tapped his wrist where he'd normally wear his watch, then pointed from one end of the pool to the other.

Underwater, Haru's answering look of challenge was alluring and sharp.

***

University level courses took a lot out of Makoto. He didn't want to complain. After all, he had chosen to go to this university in Tokyo because of the rigor and quality of its courses. He knew that he just couldn't get the kind of education that he needed back home, and the children he hoped to teach one day deserved nothing less than the best that he could give. Meanwhile, Haru's training schedule was time-consuming and took much more out of him than their high school days had ever anticipated. In addition to his beloved swim practice, he had to run much more than they'd used to and do endless hours of weight training _and_ keep his grades up. Makoto didn't know how he managed it.

The two of them still met up at least twice a week. Makoto made friends among his classmates, and he knew he would have many wild and precious memories by the time he graduated. The structured chaos and charm of college life in Tokyo were meant to be experienced to the utmost. It was... a lot, though. Makoto had never fully appreciated how quiet Iwatobi was until they'd come here. Being with Haru was like coming home. When he was with his best friend, he could better remember why he was putting himself through this in the first place.

Thankfully, his first midterms ended with middling to good results. There was no room to truly rest, however. There was always the next exam, the next paper, the next project, the next thing that Makoto couldn't understand or remember. Every evening, he dropped his bracelet into its renewing bowl of water for the night and reminded himself how lucky he was.

Whenever Makoto felt he was reaching his breaking point, whenever he felt sure that he would have to give up and go home in shame, whenever the anxiety in Haru's expressive eyes grew larger than the determination there, whenever Haru would stop talking and meeting people's eyes -- one of them would suggest to the other, "Swim?" and everything would be made right again.

***

The day after Haru missed qualifying for the Worlds by 0.08 seconds, Makoto treated him to seafood okonomiyaki and tried his best to console him.

Haru was stubbornly uncommunicative until finally, at the end of the night, he declared in his quiet, decisive way, "I'm still the best in my year. I'll get there next time." That seemed to settle the matter.

Two nights later, he came to Makoto's door, waking him well past midnight. "I want to try something with you."

They didn't go to the pool this time. Haru went to the kitchen sink and returned with a mug of water. He set it down on Makoto's coffee table, away from the short stack of textbooks and notebooks and the TV remote. He gestured at it, and Makoto knelt across from him, feeling uncomfortably like they were getting ready to summon something he wouldn't like to see. "What should I do?" he asked in a hushed whisper, conscious of the late hour.

"Just hold it."

Makoto flinched slightly when Haru put his hands over his own, but he stayed still when the tingling started, expecting it. Nothing seemed to happen for a long time, despite Haru's look of fierce concentration. Makoto could see the tenseness in his friend's shoulders and feel it in the tight grip of his hands. Finally, Haru seemed to relax a little, though Makoto still couldn't understand what they were doing.

Seconds later, the water started steaming.

He made no sound, not wanting to break Haru's concentration, but he stared in wonder as the steaming increased, and then the water started to shimmer, then to bubble, then to roil. "Haru!" he warned, when the ceramic got too hot to hold, and Haru released him. He gave Makoto a look of deep triumph -- then fainted dead away.

After an eternity of worry and a revival hastened by covering Haru with wet towels, Haru, to Makoto's great relief, sat up and grumbled, "We should have tried it in the bathtub."

Makoto laughed at the image that conjured up. "I'll make you some tea. The normal way."

***

At the start of the second semester, yellow gingko leaves scattered across the branches overhead, Haru said, just before they entered a boss battle, "I want to try something with you."

Hours later, Haru turned off the pool lights and twined their fingers together in the middle of the pool. It was like they were the only two people alive, floating in the center of space. Makoto's entire arms buzzed, and when it was done, both of them had lighted spots all up both sides of their arms like phosphorescent eels. In the air, they gave a soft glow akin to a single candle's light, but underwater, they blazed bright enough to read by.

Haru didn't like the term 'magic' being applied to what he did, but it was the closest word Makoto could think of to adequately describe it. That night, he dipped his arms in and out of the water and submerged himself again and again. He couldn't stop staring at himself, changed. He felt alien in a way that he hadn't any time he'd taken a breath underwater.

He wondered if this was how Haru felt all the time.

***

"When we go home" -- Iwatobi was still home to Haru, even though his parents were now in Kyoto and he in Tokyo -- "I want to show you something."

Haru refused to explain further, and so the evening after their flight landed at Iwatobi Airport, Makoto was the one to come to Haru's door. "Ready?" He'd borrowed a key from Coach Sasabe, so this time there would be no sneaking around and breaking in. There was a _little_ bit of lying, but Makoto thought that was acceptable. He'd told Coach Sasabe that the old swim team was going to get together after hours, and they would -- the following day.

In a backwards mirror of that night in junior high, Makoto was the one who led them inside, while Haru was the one who seemed keyed up and uncertain. Side by side, they shuffled quietly down the dark, silent halls and through the empty locker room where they had once hidden Nagisa away from his parents.

"This brings back memories, doesn't it?" Makoto said, trying to lighten the mood. Haru merely walked alongside him with his head down. Upon entering the natatorium proper, he seized Makoto's hand before he could turn on the pool lights.

"Haru?" In the middle of winter and just a few days after a new moon, Makoto couldn't see much of his friend. Haru's gaze skittered over Makoto's face, causing his eyes to glitter in the moonlight. Saying nothing, he turned his back and began undressing. Caught between exasperation and curiosity, Makoto followed suit, stripping down to his swimsuit -- only to stare as Haru removed that as well. "Haru?" Ignoring him, Haru leaped into the water, his form as perfect as always. By long habit, Makoto followed after him.

Haru swam to the middle of the pool like always. They'd both grown since junior high, and the water came up less than twenty centimeters above Haru's slim waist so that his every movement made it rather obvious that he was bare under the water. Makoto found himself more flustered than he would have expected. Haru didn't like onsens so they'd never been to one together, and even when they showered or changed together they were rarely alone like this. The undulating water that was the only thing separating them felt intimate, like a secret whispered back and forth. "What, um, what should I do?" He could feel himself flushing slightly. He hoped Haru didn't ask him to undress as well.

It was nearly entirely dark. Only the ridges of the ripples they'd raised caught the light of the moon from the windows overhead.

After a few breaths, Haru took Makoto's hands, interlacing their fingers in a pose that Makoto recognized. A few moments later, they had enough light to see each other by. _You can leave anytime you want. You don't have to wait for me_ , Haru told him, unexpectedly, after he'd blinked away the lingering weakness that doing this always caused him _._ While Makoto searched in bewilderment for an answer, Haru worked his mouth as if he were about to say something more. He squeezed Makoto's hands. _Please, don't be scared._ He let go and backed up a few steps.

"Haru, what is it? What's wrong?" Haru's thoughts had been shot through with unease.

Makoto was watching his friend's face closely, trying to understand, so he saw the moment when something seemed to... relax.

A burst of cold caused Makoto to flinch. He covered his face with his arms and cried out. Chilled water whipped past him like a riptide, knocking him back so that he had to flail a bit for balance. When he oriented himself again, Haru was about a meter away, watching him. He looked... different. Makoto approached and held up his arms again, this time for light, because Haru's had inexplicably gone out.

The first thing he noticed was that Haru's eyes had changed. They looked somewhat like cat's eyes, a slit pupil in the center, the iris his usual deep-water blue around it, but speckled with flecks of a lighter shade that seemed to reflect the scant light. There were patches of what looked like scales on his cheeks. When Makoto touched one gingerly with his fingers, he felt the smooth ridges. Haru didn't turn away, letting him explore. A sparkle caught Makoto's attention. There were more scales along Haru's shoulders.

This wasn't his Haru anymore, and yet it was. The mixture of the utterly familiar and the alien made Makoto feel slightly sick. It was as if his best friend had been replaced by... by a monster.

But Haru had implored him not to be scared. He had predicted that Makoto would want to run away -- from him -- and he had let Makoto know it would be okay if he did. Despite Haru's new eyes, Makoto discovered he could still read his friend's emotions, or at least make a decent guess at them. Haru was _terrified_.

A swirl of something brushed against Makoto's leg, making him yelp and jerk back to see what it was. He stared for a few seconds, then looked to Haru's face to confirm. Haru nodded. Makoto ducked under the water so he could see better.

Oh, Haru.

Haru's tail started slightly below his waist, perhaps roughly where his jammers would have been. Scattered scales starting higher up coalesced into a sweep of 100-yen sized scales. They sparkled in the light of Makoto's arms, the color shifting between blue and teal. The whole tail was about the length of Haru's legs, tapering down to where his toes would be, with the addition of a pair of large fins, rather more like a goldfish's than a dolphin's. They waved steadily, keeping Haru upright. Muscles rippled under the skin, more supple and sinuous than a human's legs could be.

Makoto came out of the water with a gasp. 

He took Haru's hands. He squeezed. "Haru."

The terror in Haru's face subsided. Slowly. Anxiety remained. He looked away.

_Makoto._

When nothing followed, Makoto squeezed his hands again, harder.

_Is this okay?_

Makoto pulled him into a tight hug. Scales scraped across his calves as Haru recoiled, but then he shifted his arms under Makoto's grip to hug him back. Makoto couldn't remember Haru ever hugging anyone back. "Is this... Were you always like this?"

 _I'm sorry for lying. I couldn't tell you._ Haru's thoughts thrummed with remorse and anguish, still threaded through with that uncharacteristic anxiety.

Makoto shook his head, wanting more than anything to soothe those emotions away. He pressed his cheek to Haru's scaled one, feeling the roughness when he rubbed against the grain. "Haru is still Haru. Nothing has changed."

_Will you come to the ocean with me tomorrow? Swim with me?_

Reflexive fear was chased by indignation was chased by confusion. Haru knew him, as well as he knew Haru. Haru knew what it meant to be asking this of Makoto, and he had asked anyway. For whatever reason, this was important to him.

Makoto pulled back so he could see Haru's changed face. "The ocean. Is that where you're from?"

A wary nod.

"Okay, then. Let's go."

  
END Chapter 3.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who of you saw this coming all along? Who was surprised? I am super interested in knowing everyone's reactions! Please leave a comment if you can. Thanks for reading! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secrets magical and mundane are discussed.

It was a few days before New Year's, and there weren't many people about. Haru led them to a spot where the beach sand turned to rocks. He paused a bit to put his hand in the water, seeming to test something. Then they clambered through the shallows and waded past sharp outcroppings around the cliff-face until they were no longer in sight of the road. Finally, finding a suitable crevice to store their bags, Haru began to undress.

Makoto averted his eyes from his friend, a little flustered. Holding Haru tight in his arms, even if a different form of him, was still a fresh memory from last night.

To distract himself, he fussed with the wetsuit he'd 'borrowed' from his Dad, taking it from the closet this morning while everyone else was out. Next to Haru, he felt silly, but the suit was necessary for the frigid waters off the coast, even if they didn't plan to go too deep. The rubbery, thick fabric felt strange and restricting when he was used to the low profile racing legskins he preferred. He zipped the suit up all the way and checked the fit of the diving shoes, another item his Dad had 'loaned' him. He was close enough in build now to his Dad that the shoes weren't too loose on him. Pulling his goggles down over his eyes and adjusting them with smooth practice, he turned to check if Haru was ready.

Speed disrober that he was, Haru was already in the water. Sighing, Makoto followed, clamping his mouth shut on chiding his friend about catching a cold. Haru was more resistant to cold than most people, and he wouldn't be in his vulnerable form for long.

They waded in until the water lapped at Haru's chin, and both scanned the water around them for bystanders. Seeing none, Haru reached for Makoto.

After all this time, Makoto had become (almost) used to the "kiss" that let them breathe underwater. With Haru completely bare, though, it felt as awkward and nerve-wracking as the first time. He had to hold himself rigid not to react as Haru performed the usual routine -- until the unexpected result threw all thoughts of nakedness and embarrassment aside.

In the ocean, the tingling was more like a grenade blast, a split-second sensation on the edge of pain. Blinded, his ears still ringing, Makoto held his head in his hands and curled up in the water, taking deep recovery breaths. He wondered if this had been what had woken him up in the ocean when they were at the training camp, and not simply the influx of oxygen.

 _Makoto?_ The 'voice' was filled with concern. He felt Haru pull him up, and they broke the surface together. "Makoto! Are you okay?"

"Yeah. It was just-- a lot stronger than before."

"We should go back," Haru immediately demanded.

Blinking away the remaining spots in his vision, he straightened. "No. I'm fine." He _was_ fine, and more importantly, he didn't think he'd have the courage to come out here again. Haru, he noticed, seemed to be perfectly fine. He showed no signs of the slight dizziness he still suffered from after he exerted himself in the pool. As he had told Makoto before, being in the ocean made him stronger.

Haru's intense gaze inspected him for reassurance, and Makoto's resolve must have shown, because he relented. They dove under together, and Makoto watched curiously as Haru went through his change. He'd described it to Makoto yesterday as a sort of "letting go". His human form was still him, he insisted emphatically. It wasn't a disguise. It was, however, a little more effort to exist in, like wearing their school uniforms versus wearing just a swimsuit. If he ever lost consciousness or got too tired in the water, he might even change without meaning to.

Last night, in the pool, Haru had seemed like a foreign creature invading the real world. Here in the ocean, his tail and eyes and the pearlescent glow of his fingernails seemed quite natural. This was his home, after all, Makoto reminded himself. This was where Haru truly belonged.

The thought made him sad.

After the blast of cold had passed, he swam up and touched Haru, palm to palm, ostensibly reassuring his friend but also grounding himself. Haru's perceptive eyes surely understood what he was doing. Anyone who knew Makoto would have been shocked to find him here -- Makoto, who was afraid of spirits and the ocean and the unknown.

He smiled to show he was ready. He trusted Haru. Objectively, it should be difficult to reconcile this new... person with the one he'd known almost his entire life. No matter what he looked like, however, Makoto knew he was still the boy -- the young man -- that Makoto had loved since they were both babies. Haru was still Haru. 

They swam out towards sea, following the sandy bottom for several minutes until it began to slope downwards. With their increasing depth, the weak sunlight began to fade into a dusk-like gloom.

The air in the ocean was richer than in the pool. He couldn't _smell_ things in the water exactly, but the oxygen content seemed to be higher and there seemed to be a certain heaviness to it. That probably should have been something interesting to distract him, but all it made Makoto think of was that there were other living things all around them. All the invisible threats of the deep seemed ready to appear and possibly devour them.

He began to slow, hesitating in his strokes, and, knowing him as well as he did, Haru stopped and turned to him. He pointed back to shore, but Makoto shook his head. He took Makoto's hand.

 _We don't have to go any farther. I'll ask them to come to us._ Haru's face blanked in concentration for a moment before he grimaced. _They're angry at me._

It was fifteen minutes later before Makoto saw two shapes coming rapidly toward them out of the gloom.

Haru had told Makoto yesterday what to expect, but some part of his brain still rebelled at the sight of Auntie and Uncle Nanase swimming toward them with tails and scales and bright cat's eyes. They came to a stop about two meters away and considered Makoto with slightly guarded expressions.

Makoto mouthed a greeting and tried to bow to them, nearly turning an inadvertent somersault as a result. Their expressions softened and they bowed back, much more gracefully than he had managed. Then, as Haru had predicted, they surrounded their son and gave him stern, fierce glares for several long seconds. Makoto winced on his friend's behalf, not sure if he wanted to be able to hear what they were 'saying' or was better off not knowing.

Just like when they were kids, Haru hunched his shoulders and looked down at the seabed, his face sullen and uncommunicative.

Finally, Auntie Nanase backed up, shaking her head in a surrendering gesture. Turning to Makoto, she mouthed something that Makoto thought might be "Hold still" before pulling him into a full body hug. If Makoto could have, he would have yelped. Auntie was bare-chested, and, and... Makoto's entire body flushed with what felt like lethal embarrassment. When she put her lips to his temple, he thought he might start steaming. Haru touched the back of his hand. _It's okay. Mom's just heating you up._

At that, he realized it wasn't (only) embarrassment that he was feeling after all. His nerves were tingling all over with a feeling similar to when Haru did his thing. This feeling was much gentler, though, especially compared to the explosive burst from earlier. When Auntie Nanase let him go, Makoto realized that he was warm all the way through. He hadn't even realized how chilled he'd become while they'd been waiting here.

Uncle Nanase came up behind him next. Makoto tried to telegraph "What?" at Haru, before he felt fingers on his head and a faint buzz flash through his body. When it was over, he felt lighter, as if a pain he hadn't noticed had been lifted away. He saw Haru frowning in concentration. He looked between his parents, and Makoto read in his expression _curiosity_ and _envy_.

Haru swam over and touched Makoto's arm. _It's to protect you from the pressure._ Makoto looked up toward the surface. He hadn't realized how deep they'd come. _I didn't think of these things, and I should have. That's why my parents are so angry._ He looked rather shame-faced at the admission. Makoto tried to project forgiveness and understanding, even as a chill ran through him at the possible danger he'd been in.

Uncle Nanase pointed upward. They all swam until they broke the surface.

At Haru's warning, Makoto hung back while the three of them changed. He gasped when the temperature of the surrounding water warmed all at once, until the overall current swirled the heated water away. It hadn't been so noticeable with just Haru last night in the indoor pool. Haru's parents linked hands with him and each other, and their expressions focused in the way Makoto had come to associate with 'magic'. They broke apart. Then it was the four of them in the water, four seeming humans gathered as if in someone's living room for tea and snacks.

Auntie Nanase was the first to speak: "Makoto-kun, thank you for coming all this way to visit us in Kyoto."

Makoto laughed harder than he should have at the little joke. It certainly broke the ice, though. Despite the odd circumstances, he was glad to see Haru's parents again. "Thank you for having me."

"I'm sorry for embarrassing you earlier. It's dangerous for you to be in water unprotected for this long, and in the moment, I'd forgotten about human clothing norms."

"Perhaps if Haruka would learn his lessons properly, he could have done it himself before you boys got into trouble," Uncle Nanase said. The chilliness Makoto remembered from Haru's parents at their last meeting seemed to have left Auntie yet remained in him. He included Makoto in an annoyed glare.

"It's not Makoto's fault," Haru was quick to interject. "He's never asked me to do anything."

"He doesn't have to. You get foolish around him."

"Makoto-kun's come a long way to visit us. Let's not make him feel unwelcome," Auntie said in a firm voice. Both men subsided. "In any case," she continued briskly, "generating heat takes a lot of energy, and doing it safely is an advanced skill. Haru shouldn't try it without supervision, so don't put ideas into his head." She gave Haru a pointed look.

Makoto wisely didn't mention the incident with the mug of water, nor when they had attempted it later in the pool, ending with Haru fainting again. Makoto had refused to try again after that, so Auntie and Uncle needn't hear about it.

"I know this must all be a shock," she said more gently to Makoto.

"No, no. It's all right." It felt absurd saying so, but he felt that niceties had to be maintained. "Thank you for trusting me."

Uncle Nanase unbent enough to nod at that. "Thank you for remaining Haru's friend through everything." He gave his son a look that was slightly less combative than before. "Now that you know, maybe you can encourage him to be more responsible."

Haru sank slightly in the water but made no verbal complaint. Makoto felt like sinking a little, himself, in embarrassment, both direct and sympathetic.

For a few minutes, they made small talk, catching Haru's parents up on current events in Iwatobi and their university lives. It was difficult to maintain a conversation while treading water in the middle of the ocean, however, even with a 'spell' of cold resistance and the knowledge that he couldn't drown. Eventually, Uncle suggested that they head back to their respective homes. He gave Auntie a look before diving away.

"Go ahead, Haru. I'd like to talk to Makoto-kun for a bit," Auntie said.

Haru seemed about to object, but Makoto gestured for him to go, and he ducked below the waves with his father.

Auntie regarded Makoto seriously. In Makoto's memories, she was a quiet, calm woman, always on the peripheries of Haru's life but not quite participating in the way that Makoto's own parents did. When he was small, she had conversed with his own mother while he and Haru played. She was pleasant but, like Haru, while she smiled occasionally she didn't laugh. Though never overtly demonstrative, she had always been kind to him. "Thank you for looking after Haruka, Makoto-kun. I know he's a little odd, and he has a stubborn temper."

"Ah... not at all. Actually, I'm surprised to hear you say that. So, it's not just because he's, you know." Makoto waved at the ocean around them. Auntie Nanase smiled.

"No, I'm afraid part of that is just Haru being Haru." Just Haru being Haru. Makoto found that reassuring. "May I see that bracelet you're wearing?"

Readily Makoto held out his arm to show her. "Haru gave it to me. It's really amazing. It lets Haru talk to me like you can to each other."

"Mm. I know. I made it."

"Oh!"

"It was something I experimented with while on land. I must have left it behind with some other odds and ends." She turned the bracelet around on Makoto's wrist, studying it with the focused eye of a jeweler inspecting a gem.

"You make magic things?"

Auntie looked taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "I would probably call something like this a 'human cooperative touch-activated natural speech amplifier'. Though I suppose it must seem quite magical to you." She released his arm. "Haru tuned it to talk to you, I assume?"

"I guess he did. It only works with the two of us, and he can't hear me. It's still useful, though, especially when we're in the water."

"Yes, there are unfortunate limitations. It's hard to adapt human biology to our technology. As you say, though, still useful sometimes. This one requires some patience but isn't particularly difficult. Perhaps Haru could learn to make something like this himself with the proper tools and education. He has the talent for making things and for changecraft. It seems such a waste for him to stay human. No offense."

"None taken," Makoto responded automatically, though the judgment made him feel uneasy, remembering the earlier, unheard argument between Haru and his parents.

"I didn't make that cord. May I ask when he gave it to you?"

"Ah, maybe, a month ago? I have to soak the coral in water every night for it to work, so the cord starts to break down. Haru makes me a new one whenever that happens." It did always feel like a shame to throw out the pretty braided bracelets, so Makoto had kept all of them.

"I see. And the coral?"

"Almost three years ago. I'm sorry. I didn't know it was yours. Should I not have taken it?"

"Perhaps. But it's too late now."

"Too late?"

Auntie touched his cheek in an affectionate way. "My husband's right to some extent. Haru tries too hard to impress you. You're a good boy, Makoto-kun. Please keep the bracelet safe."

Bewildered and a bit self-conscious, he could only reply, truthfully, "Of course."

***

Haru accompanied him to shore, then, after reassuring himself that Makoto would be all right, he headed back out. He would spend a few days with his parents, as he normally did during vacations. Makoto supposed it made sense now why Haru had never accepted his offers to accompany him to the airport.

As soon as Makoto got home, he shut himself into what had once been his room and lay on his futon, his mind blank. It was almost too much to take in. Two days, and his entire world had changed. There were... fish people in the seas, and his best friend was one of them. His best friend's parents had cast magic spells on him. His mother made magic amulets as a hobby. His father was not working a construction job in Kyoto but in an underwater city too deep for Makoto to even fathom.

He looked around 'his' room, noting, with some uneasiness, the boy band poster and a scattering of thankfully still girlish accessories. It belonged to Ran now. Even at twelve years old, she had insisted on sharing a room with her beloved big brother while he visited, throwing a fit when their Mom had first laid the futon in Ren's room last night. Makoto had quelled the impending fight by agreeing to switch off between them. He didn't mind the bother of moving, and he was sad to imagine a day -- no doubt coming soon -- when his siblings would no longer regard him with blind worship.

It had been less than a full year since he'd left for college, and already this room felt unfamiliar to him. Was that what life was like? One momentous change after another, each one intimidating but, looking back, each one seeming inevitable and necessary, the prior state looking outgrown.

He heard sounds from beneath his window, Ran and Ren's bickering voices and his Mom's chiding one. The front door opened a moment later, and running footsteps on the stairs presaged the bedroom door bursting open. "Big Brother!" cried twin voices, and Makoto sat up just in time to receive his siblings' exuberant greetings, each one trying to outdo the other. Without speaking, he hugged them to him.

"Big Brother?"

"What's wrong?"

"I've missed you," he told them honestly. Then he tickled them into shrieking, gasping submission, because that's what big brothers got to do when their siblings dared to grow up on them.

All through dinner, he reveled in the comfort of being with his family. He couldn't help wondering what Haru was doing at that moment. Did his parents have a house like this? A dining table? What did he talk about with his parents? Were they getting along? Makoto's Mom, ever observant, gave him a questioning look when he replied to a comment too slow, but otherwise everything went as normal at a Tachibana household dinner.

Finally, as he helped his Mom wash up, he asked her, quietly, "Did you know? About Haru and his parents?"

His Mom's hands stilled on the plate of leftovers she was boxing up. "What about them?"

"Haru took me swimming today, in the ocean. We met up with his parents. From Kyoto."

"Oh..." His Mom sagged slightly against the counter. Then she straightened and finished scraping spaghetti noodles into the storage container with practiced movements and handed the plate to him to wash. "Were you polite to them?"

"Of course! Mom." He put down the sponge and turned off the water. "Why didn't you tell me? Haru's my best friend! I should have known."

His Mom continued her work, moving to the refrigerator to put the leftovers away. "I didn't think it was my place. They were so insistent on it being an important secret. And we thought maybe Haru would tell you himself when he was ready."

'We' thought. "So, Dad knew, too."

"Of course, Makoto."

"What did I know?"

Makoto's Dad leaned over the counter separating them from the dining room. His tone was mild but a worried frown puckered his brow between his glasses as he looked between the two of them.

"Makoto met Haruka's parents today," Makoto's Mom told him.

"Are they back for-- oh. Did Haru take you home with him?" his Dad asked, seeming alarmed.

"No. We met a ways before the dropoff. Their city is pretty far away." Makoto leaned back against the sink. "I still can't believe it. My whole life! He was my best friend. Of course, he still is, but... I just wish I'd known sooner. Haru was really worried about it for all those years."

His Mom shook her head in commiseration. "When we first started becoming closer, his parents told us that there were things about their family that they couldn't tell us. They told us that Haru couldn't be in the water too much, especially when he was tired. I thought he had a health condition, but then he joined the swim club with you... I wasn't sure what to think."

"I thought maybe they were in trouble with the yakuza at first. Or running from the police."

"Dear! Makoto doesn't need to hear that. And it's not true, anyway."

Makoto chuckled, imagining Auntie and Uncle Nanase as gangsters.

His Dad shrugged, looking unhappy. "We didn't know the truth until shortly before they left. For 'Tokyo'. Haru wouldn't go with them, so they wanted someone around him who could help him if he needed it."

"Did Haru know that you knew?"

"Auntie and Uncle didn't say. Maybe not." His Mom looked him in the eye. "Auntie Nanase was always a good person and a good friend to me. I want you to know that, Makoto."

"I'm glad."

"It must have been strange, seeing Haru that way," his Mom not-quite-asked.

"It was a shock, for sure. But in a way, it felt... natural, I guess. I'm glad I got to see Haru where he belongs."

***

The next time Makoto saw Auntie and Uncle Nanase, it was on dry land, shortly after winter break. A swim meet was being held in Kyoto, and although it was only a friendship meet with the sister university of Haru's school, Haru's parents had evidently decided it would be too strange not to show. Or, they genuinely wanted to see their son swim. In any case, they gave every evidence of enjoying themselves and supporting Haru.

Makoto had arrived early that morning. With hours to while away, he'd brought a textbook with him to study, but he'd probably been overly optimistic. The noise and the bustle around him were too distracting. Being here, even if only as a bystander, brought back so many memories. He wasn't cut out for competitive racing as a career, but he had to admit that he enjoyed the atmosphere. Training and competing had thrilled him and driven him throughout his childhood. It wasn't something he could let go lightly. When Auntie and Uncle arrived, an hour before Haru's estimated start time, he put the book away entirely to read on the train later.

They sat at the edge of the bleachers closest to the starting blocks. Knowing what he did now, Makoto wondered how silly humans must look to them, flailing in the water with their clumsily abbreviated limbs and having to surface to breathe. Had it been mortifying for their son to join the sport? Or did it make them proud that he was adhering in some small way to his roots?

Uncle, after a few minutes of stiffness at the beginning, seemed to unbend considerably later on, drawing Makoto into a long conversation. In fact, he virtually interrogated Makoto about his classes and extracurricular activities. He seemed particularly interested in where Makoto planned to go after graduating, and when Makoto told him he intended to earn a few years of experience in Tokyo but eventually move back to Iwatobi, Uncle seemed pleased. As if in reward, he offered Makoto a chocolate bar after he came back from collecting snacks for them all. Makoto wasn't sure what to make of it all, but he was glad to have apparently returned to his best friend's father's good graces.

Taking advantage of the welcoming atmosphere, Makoto attempted a question of his own, avidly curious but trying not to sound too prying. "It must have been hard to leave Haru behind. Why didn't you take him with you?"

Auntie shook her head ruefully. "Maybe it was our fault for giving him a name that meant 'far away'. Haru refused to go. By our standards, he was already an adult. We decided he had the right to at least try. Your mother was very kind to look after him, though maybe that was a mixed blessing. He might have given up and come home if he hadn't had your family's support."

Makoto would have to thank his mother for her part in keeping Haru with them. Even so, he chuckled, picturing Haru's most stubborn expression. "I wouldn't count on it. Once he gets something in his head..."

Auntie smiled. "I suppose you're right, but we honestly never thought he'd want to stay. Most of us can't live away from the ocean for too long before it calls us back, and Haru's loved the water since he was a baby. I was so sure... I thought at least he'd come home after finishing high school."

"We all know how that turned out," Uncle said, staring crossly down at the pool.

"He takes after you. Rebellious."

"Or he takes after you. Adventurous," Uncle immediately countered.

"Uncle was adventurous, too. Don't let his attitude fool you," Auntie 'confided' to Makoto. Uncle Nanase raised his eyebrows but offered no comment. Auntie touched Uncle's arm, and he brushed the tops of her fingers with his, before they both retreated.

It had never seemed strange, while growing up, how reserved the Nanases were in their affection with each other. Makoto had simply accepted it as the way they were. He wondered, now, what Haru's parents might be conveying to each other if they were underwater. He wondered what other small things like this he would begin noticing now, things that Haru's family had been hiding in plain sight for so many years -- things that, perhaps, Haru missed constantly?

"Is swimming enough of a substitute for living in the ocean?" Makoto wondered out loud. Was Haru held on land by such a thin thread? What would he do if that thread ever snapped? Haru had almost given up on swimming twice. The next time might be more permanent. 

"Did Haru tell you about his grandmother?" Auntie asked him.

"Um," Makoto stammered, caught off guard by the non sequitur. "Only that she's not actually related to any of you."

"That's right. Grandmother was good to him, though, to all of us, as if we were her flesh and blood. She was the first human Haru ever knew and the first he loved. She showed all of us that it's possible for us to be a family on land, fish people and humans together. As his parents, we'll always be there for Haru to call on when needed, but Haru has people and relationships here that are valuable to him."

"Maybe in the end, love is what holds a person anywhere," Uncle reflected, though his rueful tone somewhat belied the romantic nature of his words.

It was an inspiring and a humbling thought, that their group of friends had managed not only to survive graduation and dispersal across Japan and Australia but had kept Haru grounded. Without them, Haru would have an entirely different life in the ocean with others of his kind, swimming as much as he wanted, never having to hide what he was, and able to -- encouraged to -- indulge in his 'crafts' anytime he wished.

Haru's parents shared a look, and Makoto wondered if they were thinking something similar.

"You know, Makoto-kun," Auntie said quietly, "relationships for us are a little different from most humans."

"How do you mean?"

"In most human cultures, it's expected to find a life mate early on and remain together for the rest of your lives. The assumption is that you need a partner to be completely functional in society, or even to be happy. We don't have that concept. Most of our nations don't even have legal marriages."

That seemed rather sad. "But, you and Uncle...?"

"We do form partnerships, especially during our, ah, reproductive years. It's a social practice, not a legal one. Even then, individual autonomy is a higher priority in our cultures than it seems to be in human ones."

"Like how Haru always wants to be 'free'."

"Yes, exactly. Haru is still very young. Any romantic relationship for him must be... important, or else he wouldn't choose it."

"I see." Makoto looked between Auntie and Uncle, unsure why they were sharing this rather private observation with him.

Auntie, obviously picking up on his discomfort, softened her expression and sat back a little. "Haru is more of our people than he'll admit to. A relationship with him is not to be taken lightly -- and neither is it something to be ashamed of. Do you understand? Anyone he chooses to love must be deserving, and we would accept it."

Uncle sniffed, as if not entirely agreeing with his wife, but when Auntie shot him a quelling glance, he nodded.

"Oh. All right." His ears were going hot at this frank discussion of his friend's love life. Uncle directed a glare at him, causing him to blush even harder.

"Makoto-kun, what exactly--" But Uncle was cut off when the loudspeakers buzzed and the announcer called their attention to the pool for the men's 200-meter freestyle, Haru's event. Auntie touched Uncle's arm, and he sighed, offered a stiff, conciliatory smile, and turned his attention to the poolside below.

They watched as Haru came out with the others for his event. He didn't wave or shout like some of the swimmers did, but he did look up into the stands, and he seemed to relax a little after finding them, before taking his place. The starting gun went off, and Haru dove with the grace of a creature that belonged in the water.

Watching Haru swim was always a joy. His form, perfected yet more by his coach over the last year, was truly like a dolphin's powerful drive, all muscle and grace. Now that Makoto had seen him swim in the ocean, he couldn't help but compare. The comparison should have made all the shortcomings of humans in the water more obvious. Despite the seeming impossibility of it, however, Makoto could easily see the grace of Haru's natural form in his human one. It made it all the more amazing to him that Haru could move so beautifully as he did.

Haru powered into the last turn and came out one stroke ahead of the person behind him, the both of them a healthy distance ahead of the rest of the pack. They streaked down the lanes, and Makoto couldn't contain wild shouts of encouragement. He could see the goal panel ahead of him as if he were the one in the water. Auntie was shouting, "Haruka, you can do it!" beside him. Despite Uncle's earlier seeming ambivalence, even he shouted, "Go! Go! Go!" along with everyone else at the last stretch.

When Haru placed first, Makoto jumped to his feet with a yell, punching his fists in the air. Amid the commotion of the cheering crowd, he noticed Uncle Nanase watching him, instead of his son, climbing out of the pool below. Makoto faltered and sat down, embarrassed. He wasn't normally so demonstrative, but the secondary adrenaline high he'd been experiencing during the meet must have gotten to him. Auntie touched his shoulder as if in comfort.

Haru came to their side of the stands afterward, his hair still wet from his shower.

"Congratulations, Haru," his father told him. To Makoto, while not entirely comfortable, father and son seemed less tense than when last he'd seen them together. He was glad.

Haru's mother touched his face. "Congratulations. You did well."

"Congratulations, Haru!" Makoto added his voice as well. "You're as strong in the water as always."

"Makoto-kun was very excited at your win," Uncle told him, causing Makoto to squeak in embarrassment. "I suppose that's normal, considering your close friendship."

His tone was oddly harsh in the celebratory atmosphere, and both Haru and Makoto stared at him in slight discomfort.

"Dear--" Auntie started to chastise her husband, but he gave her a hard look and she pressed her lips together. Finally, she leaned in to whisper something in her son's ear. After a pause, Haru shook his head, and Auntie reared back. " _Haruka_."

Haru flinched at her aghast tone, his expression pinching in surprise. His parents exchanged a glance laden with meaning, then both turned to Makoto, looking first at his no doubt gaping expression, then at his right wrist.

Uncle Nanase hissed, a startlingly inhuman sound. "Come here," he said, yanking Haru bodily out of his seat and dragging him up the stands toward the empty rows behind them.

"Wait!" Makoto exclaimed. "What's wrong?"

"What did I do now?" Haru demanded at the same time, his expression wavering between rebellious and bewildered.

Uncle hesitated, then turned back. Without quite meeting Makoto's eyes, he bowed deeply from the waist. "For my earlier inexcusable rudeness, and on behalf of my worthless son, I sincerely offer my apologies," he stated with baffling solemnity, before whirling and chivying his mollified son away.

Makoto turned to Auntie for an explanation, but she only said, reassuringly, "It's all right, Makoto. My husband was raised in a formal household. It's not as bad as he's making it sound." Indeed, in comparison, she seemed to have quickly recovered her calm, even smiling a bit as she gestured at his right wrist. "May I have your bracelet for a moment, please?"

Worried, he untied the ends and removed it. "Haru said he tried what you showed him over break, to make this one last longer. Did he do something wrong?"

Auntie took a water bottle from the side pouch of her bag and opened it. "Not exactly. You could say it's an instance of a culture clash." Cupping the bracelet in one hand, she poured water over it. Then she traced it with one finger, once around the outside, once around the inside, and clasped both hands around it. "There." She handed it back, shaking the excess water free.

When he put it back on, Makoto tried to feel for signs of what he thought of as Haru's 'magic', but it felt just like it always did, braided fiber, only now damp.

He cleared his throat and tried to think of something to say. Below, they were setting up for the men's 800-meter freestyle. At the top of the bleachers, Uncle had his face close to his son, speaking in a fierce undertone. Haru's hands were fisted and his eyes were wide in horror. Makoto averted his gaze quickly, not wanting to intrude.

A short while later, he was relieved to observe, "Oh, look, they're coming back."

Haru leaped down the stairs toward them. His eyes went first to Makoto's wrist, then to his mother, who returned his anxious gaze with a stern expression. Makoto knew that Haru and his parents couldn't talk to each other the way they did in the water while on land, but sometimes their visual exchanges were so intense that they seemed to.

Eventually, Auntie's gaze softened. "It's all right, Haru. You didn't know." She gestured with her head toward Makoto. "Go on."

Before Haru could respond, Uncle, who had followed at a more sedate pace, commented, "He would have known better if he weren't so insistent on being one hundred percent _human_." Haru hunched his shoulders and turned his head away.

"This isn't the time," Auntie said, glancing quickly around them. Luckily, while their brief altercation had drawn a few curious looks, no one was close enough to hear.

"Haru, what's going on?" Makoto demanded quietly, tugging his friend closer.

Haru looked everywhere but at him. "Nothing," he mumbled. He started to encircle Makoto's wrist but instead withdrew his hand and said, aloud, "I'm sorry, Makoto."

***

Haru had to stay for the remainder of the weekend to support his team and to attend some joint sightseeing and bonding time with their sister university, so it was the Monday after before Makoto had the opportunity to firmly order him to share dinner with him at Makoto's apartment.

To anyone else, Haru may have seemed to behave normally, but Makoto could read the awkward little tells. They went to a donburi place they frequented and bought takeout in relative silence, making only small inquiries about each other's choices, walking home with a strain between them that made Makoto's shoulders itch. When they finally entered his apartment, they placed their food on the coffee table, unopened, and stared at each other.

Makoto touched the back of Haru's hand. It was interesting how the gesture felt casual to him now, useful for getting Haru's attention underwater and signaling a question.

"What happened in Kyoto? Why were your parents so freaked out about this?" He shook his wrist where he still wore the coral ornament. Haru's eyes followed the movement.

"I made a mistake."

Makoto waited for more. His patience was rewarded when Haru made an irritated sound before sitting back, looking more like his normal self.

"You know that they-- we-- my people talk to each other differently. We also write differently."

"Oh, of course," Makoto realized, nodding thoughtfully, "because ink or graphite wouldn't work underwater."

Haru made an affirming noise. "Writing in some ways is part of the making of things. It makes the writing more important, like an engraving would be. You can't see it the way we can, but I wrote something on the bracelet I gave you."

Curious, Makoto glanced down at it, even though Haru had just told him he wouldn't be able to see anything. "What does it say?"

"My Mom erased it. It used to say... It's something like 'I want to swim with you'."

 _"I want to swim with Makoto."_ Makoto, with a mixture of warmth and bashfulness, remembered Haru as a boy declaring that to his parents. "That doesn't sound so bad. Were your parents just angry that you tried magic again without supervision?"

Haru didn't scowl at the word 'magic' this time. He was silent for a while, perhaps putting the appropriate words together in his head. "There are a lot of words for 'swim'."

"That makes sense." Just like humans had many words for how to travel on land, surely the same was true for Haru's parents and their people.

"Some of them are metaphorical. The one I used means 'I want to court you'."

Haru said it so matter-of-factly that Makoto had already started to assure him, "That seems--" before he fully understood. "What...?" He burst out laughing, relieved at finally understanding the problem. His confusing conversation with Haru's parents all made sense now. He'd been waving that bracelet around in their faces the whole time when, to them, it meant... "Well, that's definitely embarrassing, but you explained it was a mistake, right? I don't understand why your dad was still so angry."

"That wasn't the mistake. I meant to write it."

Haru met his gaze squarely, his eyes intense. Makoto tried several times to speak, but his lungs didn't seem to want to inflate properly. "Oh," he finally managed. "Your parents are upset about you wanting to... date me?"

"It's not that. They would rather we had actually been together." Now Haru looked down. "Dad explained to me. You're not supposed to make someone wear writing like this without them knowing it. It's considered obscene. Where my parents live, it's actually a crime."

" _Oh!_ " The bracelet prickled on his skin. He resisted the urge to tear it off. "Does it... _do_ something to me?"

"No," Haru assured him quickly. "Writing doesn't do anything by itself. But when it's woven into jewelry like this, there's a symbolism to it." He frowned. "It's like if I forced you to wear a wedding ring that you didn't want. It's a kind of abuse."

Makoto could feel himself blushing. Honestly, though, it all sounded way overblown to him. It was just a silly bracelet, after all. "Well. We're human. So, you don't need to worry about it. It was just a mistake, Haru."

"I'm not human, Makoto." Haru had never said that out loud before, at least not in Makoto's hearing. His gaze was steady and piercing.

"I know that," Makoto agreed awkwardly. He still wanted to think of Haru as human, even though he knew better. He'd always thought that was how Haru saw himself. Finding out otherwise made him anxious and a little frightened.

"My parents are right. If I'm going to play with things from my people, then I need to understand more about them. Us. About me. The bracelet didn't hurt you, but it could have. Every time I use changecraft on you, it hurts you, too, and I don't know enough to fix that. I shouldn't even have kept doing it. If I had ever accidentally injured you, I wouldn't even know how to help you. I'm going about this all backwards. It's no good."

Makoto's anxiety was climbing into impending dread. Haru was leading up to something. "What are you saying, Haru?"

"My parents want me to go back to live with them."

"And you want to go?" It was like his heart had turned to lead in his chest.

"I want to... learn. I always thought I'd be okay just being human. But I was wrong. It's not safe for me to try to be both. Not without training."

"So, you're leaving?"

Surprise filled Haru's face. "No, of course not. I just need to figure out a better way."

Abruptly, Makoto felt like he could breathe again. "That's good." He smiled, tentatively, and was glad to see it returned. "You'll figure it out." Encouragement, he knew how to give, and unconditionally so. Haru was focused and talented. He would find a way to be himself in the way that he wanted. Free.

They held each other's gazes until their smiles naturally faded out.

"Haru," Makoto reminded him gently. The question had been simmering in the back of his mind for the last few minutes. "You said you meant to write it."

Haru was silent, but his quickly lowered face was wary. There was no need to clarify what Makoto had been referring to.

"Why did you write that?" When Haru simply continued staring at his lap, Makoto added, gently, "You knew I couldn't read it. You could have just told me."

Haru's gaze jumped to Makoto, his blue eyes wide.

For long, dragging moments, neither of them spoke.

Finally, Makoto said, "Haru. I want to try something with you."

Just like Makoto had responded every time before, Haru immediately said, "Okay."

"Close your eyes and hold still."

Haru complied. Makoto could feel his heartrate speed up as he shifted closer to his friend. He touched Haru's neck with light fingers, and he felt it pulse as he saw Haru shiver. Slowly, he pressed in and touched his lips to Haru's. Even though he'd been the one to do it, he startled a little. He'd never felt Haru like this outside of the water before. Haru's lips were cool and dry, a little chapped, perhaps from the pool. He smelled faintly of chlorine and sweat. His breaths against Makoto's face felt oddly arid.

Makoto stayed there until their lips warmed -- and then he retreated.

Haru blinked his eyes open. "What was supposed to happen?"

"Nothing." Makoto smothered a nervous chuckle. "That was just a kiss. I guess it's a magic thing that even humans can do, right?"

Predictably, Haru scowled. "It's not 'magic'." He fell silent.

Makoto took his hand. "Do you think this is too fast?"

Haru huffed a rare laugh. He encircled Makoto's wrist. _I've been courting you since I was thirteen. From my perspective, it's been anything but fast._ The warmth and love echoing through his thoughts took Makoto's breath away.

"You'll have to be patient with me, then. I need to catch up."

Haru sobered. "Makoto. Is this really what _you_ want?"

Makoto thought of all their years together, growing up but never separating, always becoming closer. He thought of the desperate fear he'd felt when he'd thought that Haru might leave him for the ocean. He thought of swimming with Haru, Haru's hand around his wrist, Haru speaking into his heart, Haru telling him he wanted to 'court' him. He thought of a future with Haru, kissing again, seeing Haru naked on dry land, holding hands without any reason. He thought about being able to see Haru every day, continuing to grow themselves alongside each other.

The answer was simple, had always been simple.

"Yes."

  
END Chapter 4.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haru makes a decision.

When Haru returned, tears were tracking slowly down his face, making him blink irritably. While he took off his shoes, Makoto kissed the corner of his eye. As he suspected, he tasted salt. On long trips in the ocean, Haru could drink the salt water to remain hydrated, but he hated the aftermath as his body expelled the excess minerals. "What did your parents say?"

"They were expecting it."

"But what did they _say_?"

Haru took his wrist. Speaking out loud was always a little more troublesome for him after a time away from land. _Makoto, you don't need to worry about them. They adore you._

"Uncle, too?"

"He likes you much better now that you're not an evil kidnapper who denies our relationship."

"Kidnapper?" Makoto spluttered. Haru's face was studiously blank as he placed his shoes neatly on the shoe rack. Makoto couldn't tell if he was joking or not. He crossed his arms severely. "That's not funny." Haru looked up and, yes, his eyes were laughing. He touched noses with Makoto in apology as Makoto pulled him up into the apartment proper.

Makoto hadn't made up his bed from this morning yet, so Haru flopped down over the messy nest of blankets and stared at the ceiling, visibly exhausted. Speaking to his parents from a distance was difficult for him, even when he went farther out in the water. He had explained self-consciously that he didn't know how to tap into the system of exchanges that would have made it easier. There was so much about Haru's world that Makoto didn't understand yet.

A little shyly, Makoto lay down, too. Immediately, Haru curled into him, causing Makoto's breath to flutter. He nuzzled Haru's hair and reveled in the new familiarity of the sensation for a minute before prompting, "So, your dad?"

"He likes you fine. They're just worried about me."

"Because of the magic?"

"It's not--"

"Right, yes."

Haru sighed. He put his hand over Makoto's wrist, though he chose to answer him out loud. "They didn't quite say it directly, but they're worried that I'm becoming too human."

"Oh." Seeing how that distressed him, he stroked Haru's back soothingly. Ever since Kyoto, Haru had been paying more attention to his parents' advice and criticisms. Makoto thought it was good for Haru to accept what he was, but he could see how difficult it was for him sometimes, living in one world while constantly being reminded that he had come from another.

 _I want to keep doing what we've been doing, together._ Haru kissed Makoto's palm, then left his hand against his face, reminding Makoto amusingly of a cat asking for scratches. "It's a sort of specialized skill, though. My parents think that practicing the human kind so much will make it harder for me to learn the normal kind."

"Is that true?"

Haru tossed his head dismissively. "It's like learning different languages. Lots of people know multiple languages."

"You are not one of those people, Haru. Your English is abysmal."

_It was a metaphor._

"Can you do the other kind?" Makoto remembered Haru's envious expression when his parents had used their protective crafts on Makoto in the ocean. He hated to think that playing around with Makoto had caused Haru to fall behind in what was an important part of his education. It was becoming apparent that Haru was missing even some basic skills for if he ever wanted to return to the ocean.

"I can do it, but not well. If I went to live with my parents, I'd probably have to be put in school with third graders."

Makoto was currently assistant coaching for a class of seven- to nine-year-olds at a community pool. He couldn't help but smile, picturing Haru, surrounded by his round-cheeked students, except with tails and fins, his deep voice amid their high-pitched ones, reciting their fish people hiragana and practicing their multiplication tables.

"Stop that. I know you're imagining something ridiculous."

With difficulty, Makoto put his mental images aside. "Are you going, then? To school?"

Haru made a soft, grudging sound. _Yes. I think I have to. I need to stop making mistakes. There's too much that I don't even know that I don't know. My parents talked to the local adult education facilities there for me. They also promised to help me find someone to teach me more about human cooperative technologies. My Mom said she'll contact one of her former instructors today._

The specificity of Haru's answer was sobering. "When will you leave?"

"The season's over for me, so there's no reason for Coach to keep me. I'll ask my instructors tomorrow if I can take my finals early. I'll leave as soon as I can and take the full spring break."

So soon, and so long.

 _This is worth it, I promise_ , Haru said, as if reading his mind _._

Makoto took a deep breath, breathing in Haru's scent. He tightened his hold on Haru, and he felt Haru's arms come around him in return. "I know."

***

Going to his home in Iwatobi without Haru wasn't unusual, since Haru habitually spent part of each visit with his parents. Having parted with him while still in Tokyo, knowing they wouldn't be able to see or contact each other again for two months, however... Makoto wasn't sure what to do with himself.

Winter by the seaside was a sleepy affair, and spring was slow in waking. Unlike the late summer months, when cool and hot days battled for dominance while typhoons and storm surges made the seas unpredictable, winter meant a mostly constant block of gray waves and wet storms. The ships and fishing vessels were dry-docked to wait for better times, just like the people. It made Makoto glad to be inside their cozy home, keeping his Mom company as she prepared dinner, just like he'd used to do as a kid.

"Being a professional athlete isn't easy, is it? And at such a young age, too." Makoto's Mom tsked sympathetically. "When will Haru be back from his training camp?"

That was the excuse Haru had been telling people, and Makoto was so used to the lie now that he'd repeated it to his parents without thought. It was comforting to imagine Haru swimming in America and Canada, using his terrible English to perhaps make a few water-loving friends like himself, rather than deep in the ocean and out of Makoto's reach. The world that Haru had come from frightened Makoto and at the same time made him feel a kind of borrowed and illusory nostalgia. Haru couldn't have been more than two years old when he had come to land with his parents.

"Just before the start of Spring semester. Mom," he suddenly found himself saying. "Haru and I are dating."

Makoto's Mom turned slowly to gape at him. "You-- Haru-chan? Oh. Oh, my." She looked down at her hands, one clutching a knife and the other the back end of a daikon radish. "Oh, why did you tell me while I was--" Huffing, she dropped both and quickly rinsed her hands under the sink, before enveloping Makoto in a hug, her hands still wet. "Makoto."

He hugged her back, burying his face in her hair. She was crying against him. "I'm sorry, Mom."

"No, no. I just-- It-- I was never one of those women who dreamed about grandchildren, but just now... I suddenly felt so disappointed. I don't even know why."

"Mom!" Makoto felt his face heat up. His Mom straightened, wiped her face, and took his hands in hers.

"Is it boys in general, or just Haru?"

"Honestly? I don't think there's ever been anyone else for me except Haru."

His Mom looked sad. "I suppose you're right. Oh, this is so..." She cupped his face. "I want you to always be my baby boy. But you're all grown up now. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'll be fine, Mom."

She looked like she was about to start crying again. It made him start to tear up as well. "Is he good to you, Makoto? I know Haru has a good heart, but he's a little... odd."

Makoto smiled. "His mother said the same thing. It's all right, Mom. Neither of us is perfect, but Haru's perfect for me. We fit together so well, it's like we're pieces from the same puzzle." It occurred to him what that might sound like. "Our personalities, I meant... We aren't--" He snapped his mouth shut, aware he was simply making everything worse.

"Oh, goodness." His Mom put her hands to her reddening cheeks. "Makoto! Don't say things like that to your mother!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" They both laughed.

"Do Auntie and Uncle Nanase know yet?"

"Haru told them. But I think they knew already." _That_ was a story to be told another day.

"Hm, they have that telepathy thing, don't they?" Makoto wondered how much his parents actually knew about Haru's people. Haru had shared much of his knowledge with him, and even he felt rather out of his depth on the topic.

"Your father is in his study. Would you like me to accompany you?" Makoto groaned. His Mom was good at giving not-suggestions like that. He supposed he had opened himself up to it when he'd blurted it out to his Mom, though.

"Yes, please," he answered. Gathering himself, he headed for the study with his Mom following.

The front door clattered open and Ran and Ren came in, mid-conversation with each other about something to do with rabbits.

"Big Brother!" Ran pounced on him.

"Mommy!" Ren appealed to their Mom.

"Which is better, rabbits or hamsters?" they asked in unison.

Without answering, their Mom shooed them toward the stairs. "Big Brother needs to talk to Daddy, and I still have to finish dinner. Go upstairs and do your homework. We can all chat about animals during dinner, and maybe play some cards later."

With only a minimum of obligatory grumbling, the twins went. The domestic interlude had calmed Makoto a bit, though, and he was absurdly glad for it. When they got to the study, Makoto knocked twice before opening the door. His Dad looked up from his laptop.

"Oh, hi, Makoto." His half-distracted smile morphed into a frown as he looked between him and his Mom, who had stopped by the doorway after closing the door. He pushed back from his desk. "What's this about?"

"Dad." Makoto took a quick breath. "I wanted you to know. Haru and I are dating."

His Dad sat still for several unbearable seconds, his face blank. Finally, he closed his eyes and grimaced. "I thought something like this might happen."

"You did?"

His Dad groaned. "You two were always so close. Even the neighbors notice."

"They do?" That was news to Makoto. Embarrassment crept up on him even though it was completely groundless. "But we weren't-- This was only in Tokyo."

"Really?" He noticed his Mom looked surprised as well.

"Yes, just a few weeks ago, actually."

"Oh. I see. Well. At least we still have Ren."

"Dear!"

"Bad joke. Bad joke." Makoto's Dad held up his hands and gave his wife a placating look. He hadn't sounded like he was joking. Makoto resisted the urge to look down at his toes when his Dad stood to talk to him. "Makoto, have you thought this thing through?"

"I-- Yes."

"Have you even tried dating girls? You know it takes a while to figure out what you really want."

Makoto's Mom frowned and agreed, "That's true."

Feeling rather betrayed, Makoto spluttered, "I don't need to date other people to know how I feel."

"You're still so young. I'm sure if you met more girls and took them seriously..."

"Haru and I are committed to each other, Dad. I-- I'm sorry. But that's the truth."

"'Committed'? After only 'a few weeks'?"

"Only because it took me a long time to figure it out. We've always loved each other, Dad. You just said it yourself."

That made his Dad sigh. "Have you thought about what this will do to your career?"

"My career?" There didn't seem to be a connection, and in any case, he was still years from graduating.

"You'll be teaching children. What are you going to do when the parents find out?"

Makoto realized that he _hadn't_ thought of that. At all. "People... aren't quite so close-minded anymore, Dad. It'll be okay."

"Maybe in Tokyo. But here?"

"Perhaps..." Makoto's Mom put in, tentatively, "Perhaps Makoto could stay in Tokyo."

"That's your solution? Encourage our eldest son to just abandon his family?"

"He can visit, just like now. It's not so bad."

"If he chooses that boy over us, then he can spend the holidays in the ocean if he likes."

"Wait, Dad." Makoto felt like he'd been abruptly stabbed. "Are you saying I won't be welcome here anymore?"

Seeming to understand the import of his own words, his Dad scowled. "Of course not!"

"What about Haru?"

The pause went on too long.

"Toshi! Stop that. Haru's a good boy."

"You don't know that."

"I watched him grow up. You did, too."

"That doesn't mean much, when they've lied to all of us for years. He's not even really a boy. He's some kind of fish spirit, isn't he? For all we know, he's going to drag Makoto into the ocean and drown him one of these days."

"That's not true!" Makoto defended. "Haru grew up here. He's as human as we are. In fact, he's spending the next two months in the ocean exactly because he barely knows anything about his parents' people. He would never hurt me. Maybe you can't tell, but I've been next to Haru my whole life. He loves me." He thought about Haru's rare smiles, which he bestowed so freely on Ran and Ren. "He loves us."

A noise outside the door drew their attention, followed by contentious whispers, then running footsteps.

Sighing impatiently, Makoto's Mom opened the door. "Ran! Ren! Come back here!" she called. A moment's silence, and then shuffling footsteps returned. "Why were you eavesdropping?"

"Big Brother!" Ran burst past their Mom into the room, and Ren followed immediately on her heels. "Is Haru-chan really a fish?

"Will he spirit-kidnap you?"

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"Are you leaving us for Tokyo?"

"Why is Daddy yelling?"

"Are you in trouble?"

Makoto held up his arms in a time-out pose. "Stop, stop, stop." He leaned down to look into their worried eyes. "Yes, he's my boyfriend. No, he's not a fish. I'm not going anywhere except back to work and then school once my vacation is over. Everything's fine. Calm down." He was conscious of this being a mix of truth and grayish lies, but he tried to project confidence for his siblings' sakes.

Ran narrowed her bright aqua eyes. She was the more shrewd twin -- but Ren was more observant of social dynamics. "Are you angry with Big Brother for loving a boy?" he asked their Dad.

Put on the spot, he stood silent. Their Mom put a hand on his arm. He flinched. "I want Big Brother to be happy and safe." And perhaps not dating either a man or a fish person, Makoto surmised wryly.

The twins shared a look. Despite their constant bickering, they also had moments of silent communication. They nodded decisively at each other.

Ran looked like she was about to ask another question, but their Mom cut in. "Come help me with dinner." She took one each of their hands for insurance and lead them, protesting, out of the room. Though she nudged the door closed on the way out, it didn't quite shut all the way. Makoto watched it swing in, bounce slightly, then fall still, leaving a gap.

He listened to his Dad sit heavily in his desk chair.

"Makoto." His Dad had removed his glasses and was massaging his eyes. "I'm not happy about it, Makoto. Please, I can't say that I am. You've made a hard choice, and I don't support it. But I... I do want you to be happy."

"Thank you." He hesitated, then dared to ask, "And Haru...?"

"Give me some time."

That wasn't a no. "Yes, Dad." He bowed slightly, upset at himself for the formality but feeling that the moment deserved it, and turned to go.

"Makoto." He paused. "He won't really take you away, will he?"

His father looked so worried that Makoto's heart immediately melted. "No. Actually, it's sort of the other way around. If he stays with me, then he can't go back."

"Are you the only thing keeping him here?"

_"Haru, I'll come back." Don't assume I'll still be here when you do._

_"Maybe in the end, love is what holds a person anywhere."_

To his discomfort, Makoto wasn't sure.

***

Spring break went both agonizingly slowly and blazingly fast.

The day that Haru returned, the air was still chilled, making his bright blue eyes extra sharp in his pale, sun-starved face. Makoto couldn't have known with any exactness when Haru would return, and Haru hadn't been able to bring his phone, so the doorbell was the only herald he got.

When Makoto opened the door, Haru didn't spare a second before kissing him, hard and long, one hand around the back of Makoto's neck, the other around his wrist. _Come swim with me, Mako-chan._

Makoto laughed into the kiss, spoiling it so that they broke apart. "Don't you want to rest a bit first?" He hugged Haru to him, lifting the slighter boy off his feet, reveling in the feel of his solid body against his.

_No. Tonight. I have so much to show you._

Makoto blushed at the passion in Haru's thoughts, even while recognizing there was nothing sexual about it. "Can you even talk anymore?" he chided, distracting himself.

Haru snorted. "It feels like so much trouble now, honestly." _Humans are so inefficient._

That was something Haru would have never said before. "Well, this inefficient human was just about to cook dinner. Would you like to help?"

_Thank goodness. I'm just in time to save the kitchen from burning down._

"Don't be rude." He took Haru's waterproof backpack, along with a heavy satchel woven of some fiber he didn't recognize. A bit cosmetically battered from over a month sitting in a cave crevice, the backpack was otherwise still new and usable for next time. Makoto felt peculiarly housewifely, holding Haru's bags and still wearing his apron as he kissed Haru's cheek. He stowed the bags next to the boxes of Haru's things, which they had moved from his apartment to Makoto's before he'd left.

Starting today, they would be living together. Despite the dubious logistics of two large men in a tiny studio, the idea was thrilling. Since coming to Tokyo, they'd spent too much time apart. Breathing each other's air for a while sounded appealing.

Haru grilled them mackerel, which Makoto had been sure to stock up on. Two months out of practice had him charring one side slightly, which gave Makoto endless teasing potential. They made soup and fried rice side by side, paired with a simple salad.

Haru told him about his time away, and Makoto caught him up on events ashore. After dinner, they sat on the bed, swiftly transitioning to laying on the bed, whiling away the time pleasantly until the hour when the natatorium would most likely be empty.

Before jumping into the pool, Haru folded an object into Makoto's hand. He held his own hand over it so that their hands touched both it and each other. The object felt like a soft ringed shape with a solid piece embedded into it. Makoto had an inkling of what it was, but he still felt enormously proud when he heard Haru say, _I want to give you something, Makoto._

"You made one yourself! That's wonderful, Haru." Haru smiled in the way that was the equivalent of a wide grin for him. He took his hand away to reveal an intricately woven bracelet of a shimmering texture. Braided into it was a small ornament made of twined coral pieces.

"Makoto. Will you agree to wear it?"

Stroking the silky material, Makoto asked, "Is it the same as the one before? I mean, before the words were erased?"

"Yes."

In answer, Makoto removed the bracelet he was already wearing and set it by the poolside. He fought a blush as he held out his empty wrist, trying not to feel like he'd just accepted a marriage proposal. Haru tied the new bracelet around him. Once he'd finished, he tugged Makoto into the pool. There, he dipped his face into the water to kiss the cord, and Makoto felt it tingle. "What did you do?" He'd never felt the other one react that way before.

"That sealed the writing. It wove it into the fibers so it won't come out in the current." Shyly, he explained, _It's what you're supposed to do after you put it on the other person. In case they refuse you, you can let it wash out and still give the bracelet to them. It's supposed to mean that you can still be friends._

"That's beautiful, Haru."

_I don't think it always works out that way, though. At least, not with the couples I was around._

Makoto chuckled. "I guess relationships are hard everywhere."

"Except ours."

"Except ours," he agreed readily.

Still holding Makoto's hand, Haru gazed down at the bracelet with a look of soft, quiet joy. Makoto wished that he could see what Haru was seeing.

"Is there a way I could do this for you?" When Haru looked curious, he added, "Give you a bracelet like this, I mean."

Haru blinked in that rare way that said he was embarrassed. He looked away. _Maybe. I'll have to do the writing and the last part of the weaving, but I could teach you how to make the base. If you want._

"I want."

_Okay. Want to swim now?_

"Always."

Haru carded his fingers through Makoto's hair and fitted their mouths together gently. Makoto didn't feel anything though, and when they parted, Haru smiled. _That one was just a kiss._ Makoto sometimes forgot that in the last few years, Haru had gotten just a tiny bit... playful.

"Haru." His remonstration was ruined by his own smile.

Again, Haru reached for him, and this time, he felt the tingling start along his scalp immediately. His head didn't ring, though, and when Haru put his mouth over his, the shock-like feeling he'd become used to was replaced by a soft wash like an ocean wave. The feeling lasted for a few seconds before fading out. Haru backed off. "Better?"

"Much! It was the same thing as you did before?"

_Yes. But I can control the feedback better now. It's a matter of electrostatic energy potential._

"What a vocabulary you've gotten! Rei would be so proud." Haru wrinkled his nose.

 _I can do this now, too._ He turned Makoto around and pulled Makoto's back flush to his front. He kissed Makoto's temple. Heat shivered down Makoto's body in waves of a completely different flavor from when Haru's mother had done it.

"Haru, stop!" Makoto warned, the cresting waves wakening parts that he didn't want to address right now in semi-public.

Chuffing laughter in his ear, Haru released him. _I didn't learn that from the professors,_ he confided. Makoto ducked underwater to get rid of his blush. When Haru joined him, he glared through the water at him. Haru looked slightly repentant. Slightly. _Maybe in the bath at home next time._

Scandalized, Makoto shook Haru's hand away. Despite that, the image Haru had planted stayed squarely in his mind. Not meeting Haru's eyes, he nodded in agreement, then swam away without waiting to see Haru's reaction. He didn't get far before he felt a wash of cold and Haru appeared as a sinuous presence overhead. He seized Makoto's wrists and as soon as Makoto gripped him back, he gave a surge of power to streak forward at incredible speed. It was like they were flying.

Makoto turned himself over to watch Haru swim. Swimming nearly all his waking hours every day had given ample credence to Haru's cover story of 'training abroad'. His muscles seemed more toned than ever, thickly undulating with his movements. His cat's eyes and scales glittered in the pool lights. Makoto closed his eyes, content to be pulled along.

They played together until Makoto's breathing wore out. Then they lounged in the pool, floating and chatting as two perfectly normal, regular human men.

"Were you ever tempted to stay?" Makoto asked him during a quiet lull.

Instead of an immediate refusal, Haru gave him a thoughtful look. "I had a moment, about two weeks in, where I thought to myself, 'This really is my people.' Whenever I visited before, I always thought of myself like a tourist. It was surprising to me, how comfortable I felt there once I let myself. But, no, I never considered staying there. I like it here. With you." He took Makoto's hand and kissed it, then tucked it to his chest like a contented sea otter.

It was a sweet moment, and Makoto should have been content with that, but he didn't think he could ever let it rest if he didn't push now. "Haru, please don't be upset for me asking this." Haru tilted his head but didn't look unduly worried. "If I hadn't returned your feelings, do you think you would have left?" Was he the only thing keeping Haru here?

To his relief, Haru didn't look angry at the question, only a little sad. "I would have been devastated."

"Oh, Haru."

"But. I still would have stayed on land." He looked up through the banks of high windows. "The ocean is my parent's home. I feel comfortable in it. I'll always love it. I need it, even. Being in the ocean makes me feel like nothing else can. But it's not my home.

"I want to swim on the world stage with Rin and the others if I can. I want to feel that energy. That freedom. I want to see waterfalls and lakes. I want to know all the bodies of water that most others of my kind don't. I like being able to look at the sky. I like feeling rain and snow and sunshine on my face. I like eating food that's been cooked by a fire. I want to be with my friends. My team. This is my home.

"I want you in it, Makoto. So much. I want to build a life together here with you. But... if you ever can't do that with me, I'll understand. This is still where I want to live."

Heart filled to bursting, Makoto sighed happily. He kissed Haru, first on the cheek, then on the mouth, then on the mouth again. "You'll have me as long as you want me," he promised. He felt a familiar warmth around his wrist.

 _Good._ That one word carried all the emotion that Makoto could read in Haru's expressive eyes.

"Welcome home, Haru."

  
END.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you've enjoyed reading as much as I've enjoyed writing this. Please let me know what you think! Getting comments always, always makes my day. :)
> 
> There will be a short postscript after this that will hopefully be up within the week.
> 
> * * *
> 
> If you enjoyed this story, you might try these:  
> [Omelets And Cats](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12939165) (Free!), by kuonji  
> [Good Eating](http://archiveofourown.org/works/13191771) (Free!), by kuonji  
> [Flying](http://archiveofourown.org/works/250848) (Cardcaptor Sakura), by kuonji  
> [A Lonely Place](http://archiveofourown.org/works/751500) (Robin, Batman), by kuonji  
> [20/20](http://archiveofourown.org/works/415241) (Stargate SG-1), by kuonji  
> [The Basics of Mermaid Classification](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6611479) (Free!), by Utsukushin (UserFromPluto)  
> [Early Mornings](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4656357) (Free!), by grandmelon  
> [A love letter to the rain](http://archiveofourown.org/works/13454607) (Free!), by thatsformetoknow  
> [I'd Create Oceans For You](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6654268/chapters/15219511) (Free!), by Trashness  
> [Touch Me](http://archiveofourown.org/series/437284) (Free! series), by Gemmiel  
> [Worriers](http://archiveofourown.org/works/13125105) (Free!), by SamCyberCat  
> [Free and Proud](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1878453) (Free!), by myria_chan  
> [Your Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktSuQKUyq-w) (Free! video), by iMishaPop  
> [Fools](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPmla_9FctQ) (Free! video), Ariel Lau  
> [The little merharu](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsHy1bvWvKc&list=PLp7SyeeM0ef3c4uEn33DgWetRSlm9qBZg) (Free!/Little Mermaid video series), by Miikitouu


End file.
